The piece measures 4 ¼” high to the top of the lid and is 8 ½” from the tip of the spout to the back of the handle. The body of the teapot is just over 5” diameter. There is an impressed makers mark on the inside base of the lid – we have not been able to get it translated. The teapot has nice patina and is in very good condition. There is one 1 ¾” hairline that extends through the back if the head on one dragon on the side – it is stable and does not go through to the interior of the pot. We date the piece to the late Qing dynasty, circa 1910. In the photo of the spout from the front, there appears to be a crack - we have carefully examined it and found that it is simply the joint where the spout was luted into the body of the pot.

Yixing clay is a type of clay from the region near the city of Yixing in Jiangsu province, China. Its use dates back to the Song Dynasty (960 - 1279) when purple clay was first mined around Lake Taihu in China[1]. From the 17th century on, the ware was commonly exported to Europe. The finished stoneware, which is used for teaware and other small items, are usually red or brown in color. They are known as Purple Sand ware, and are typically unglazed.

The clays used for the yixing-wares are very cohesive and can be formed by slip molding, coil forming, or most commonly, slab forming. The clays can also be formed by throwing. The most famous wares made for yixing clay are Yixing clay teapots Yixing Purple Sand Pot). Yixing teawares are prized because their unglazed surfaces absorb traces of the beverage, creating a more complex flavor. For these reasons, yixing tea wares should never be washed using detergents, but rather with water only, and connoisseurs recommend using each tea vessel for one kind of tea (white, green, oolong, or black) or sometimes even one variety of tea only.