We owe the discovery of tea to the Chinese,
as well as the first teapots – although there
were several millennia between the two.
The legendary Shen Nong, otherwise
known as the Divine Farmer, is credited
with pioneering tea drinking early in the
third millennium BC. However, the tea was
served in a different way than today –
ground into a powder, before being served
with hot water.
The idea of steeping tea took hold in the
16th century – therefore requiring some
new serving wares. Step forward the
potters of Yixing, in south-east China, who
adapted ewers (used for serving other
liquids) into the teapot shape we know
today. Yixing was known for its distinctive
local ‘purple sand’, which fires to shades of
brown and red, with no need of a glaze.
The properties of the clay were highly
valued – it could, it was said, “drive away
the smell of boiled water but do not rob the
tea of its aroma” – and such pots would
inf luence our tea serving preferences for
centuries to come. This pot, above, dates to
the early 17th century.STEEPED IN HISTORY
S
ure, it’s easy enough to make your tea in the
mug, but isn’t it much nicer to enjoy the
ceremony that comes with the gentle
pouring of a teapot? Ever since the first tea was
imported from China, we’ve been buying and
creating the vessels with which to enjoy it.
Although the essential features of a teapot – the
body, lid, handle and spout – have remained
virtually unchanged over the subsequent
centuries, generations of designers have tried to
refine the basics to cater to changing fashions and
our changing lifestyles. These seven designs not
only show the changing status of tea in our homes:
they also demonstrate the inventiveness
encompassed in this slice of everyday life. Now
that’s something to ponder over a cup of tea...94
Looking back
TEAPOTS
SEVEN VESSELS OF BREWING
THAT HAVE SHAPED THE WAY
WE ENJOY OUR CUPPASWords: FRANCES AMBLER