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Tea and Teapots

I went to an exhibit at the Farglory Museum in New Taipei City in the fall of 2018 showcasing various teapots, 藝壺百映 [Multifarious Splendid Art Teapots]. On display were teapots of various sizes, design, color, material, and even some that on first glance did not resemble a "conventional" teapot at all. I'm thinking teapots such as those in "I'm a Little Teapot" the children's song, not quite (the awesome) Benedict Cumberbatch version of it. The teapots were collected and exhibited following the 7th Taiwan International Gold Teapot Prizes Pottery Design Competition and Exhibition 2018. On showcase were over 200 individual teapots, some selected and awarded from the competition and some from previous years.

Selection of teapots is probably a very personal choice (for those that collect teapots, that is), and much may be conjectured of a teapot's owner by those privy to it, I would think. The teapots on display were all functional (I would guess that's a requirement for teapot), but with varying spouts, handles, and volumes. Teapot collection may be thought by some (I can think of the British, East and Southeast Asians as traditionally very into tea) to be a fine art. Delving into detail, there is certainly considerable skill that must be put into making a teapot, whether for art or for general consumption. I am taking the angle as a budding ceramicist on this, since many of the teapots on show were either ceramic, metal or some mixture, and it's no easy feat to consistently produce the same color and texture for a given material combination. As an example, one of the teapots on exhibit 丹青壺, is blue and red. The caption accompanying the piece says the red comes from copper red mixed into the glaze coating, though it's not clear what gives the blue. Unfortunately I didn't get a chance to ask any of the curators on site for those details.

Sihih District, Xinbei City, Taiwan ROC
Teapot display at Farglory Museum
Aside from the slightly more wonkish take on the exhibit, what I enjoyed from the exhibit is the breadth of selections shown. Some teapots at first glance would not convey the idea of teapot, an interesting thought, and only upon closer inspection was it clear how the pot would function.

Sijhih, Xinbei City, Taiwan ROC
Matchless Raijin-Oh

Sijhih, Xinbei City, Taiwan ROC
Spreading Wings Magnificently
A simple, yet thought provoking exhibit.

Which teapots would you collect, and which would you drink out of?






Location: Taipei, Taiwan

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