Monday, July 21, 2008
Posted by Miss Neddy at 11:00 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink
Categories: Tea Related Teapots

One of my favourite teapots, the Yang Guifei pot is based on a poem by Li Bai, who had served the Emperor Xuanzong and wrote the poem to flatter his favoured consort Yang.

云想衣裳花想容， 春风拂槛露华浓。
Clouds remind me of her garments, flowers bring to mind her face; the spring wind brushes past to reveal a luscious bloom.
若非群玉山头见， 会向瑶台月下逢。
If I had not encountered her at the peaks of the Jade Mountain*, it must be beneath the Jade Platform one moonlit night^ we met.

(Apologies for mangling the great poet; I attempted as literal a translation as possible).

The teapot from the side looks like a stylised cloud, as one might see in classical Chinese paintings, or Chinese religious carvings. From the top, it resembles a flower in bloom, perhaps the peony, a flower often associated with royalty, and in its plumpness, with the zaftig Yang Guifei.

The teapot is made of zisha tinted to resemble red clay, and the surface is smooth but with very fine bumps, uncannily like human skin. The “roof-beam” handle is a little short for bigger hands, but just right for smaller ones; obviously this is a pot made for women. The pot is round and plump, but tapers down with a dancer’s grace at the base; Yang Guifei was known to be a skilled dancer. The side view is also reminiscent of a dancer’s upper body, one arm (the spout) stretched out, one arm (the handle) curved slightly towards the head. Despite the small base, the pot is very well-balanced, possibly because the generous spout and upswung handle provide adequate counter-weights. Despite its fairly large volume, the pot is very light, which means the walls of the pot are made very, very thin.

*The Jade Mountain is a real location in Taiwan, but in this poem actually means a mountain in the celestial realm (Chinese Heaven, one might say).
^The word 瑶 yáo means a type of precious jade, whereas the word for Jade Mountain 玉 yǜ is a more generic term. The Jade Platform refers to another celestial abode, a terrace or tower, and as evinced by the name, is made of or decorated with countless precious jewels.

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