Branch Teapot

Maker(s)
Artist: Ah Leon 陳景亮 (Taiwan, born 1953)
Historical period(s)
Modern period, 1992
Medium
Unglazed stoneware
Dimensions
H x W x D (overall): 42.2 x 43.1 x 17.3 cm (16 5/8 x 16 15/16 x 6 13/16 in)
Geography
Taiwan, Taipei
Credit Line
Purchase -- funds provided by the Friends of Asian Arts
Collection
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
Accession Number
S1993.7a-b
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Ceramic, Vessel
Type

Teapot

Keywords
Modern period (1912 - present), stoneware, Taiwan, tea, unglazed
Provenance
Provenance research underway.
Label

Ah Leon's dramatic sculptural teapot daringly updates the tradition of Yixing pottery, which has been admired in China since the sixteenth century. Potters from Yixing (near Shanghai) are know for their small, unglazed teapots made from local purplish-brown clay.  Ah  Leon reinterprets traditional Yixing ware in works that are both functional and sculptural.

For Branch Teapot, Ah Leon was inspired by antique Yixing pots shaped like bamboo or branches. Yet he intensified the visual pun by creating an unabashed simulation of a weathered branch. Ah Leon, who lives in Taiwan, specially selected a local clay similar to that found in Yixing. While he adhered to ancient precedents regarding the construction of a teapot that pours well, his work is modern and expressive.

Published References
  • Ceramics Art and Perception. no. 84 Sydney. p. 21.
  • Liliane Dutrait. Ah Leon: le maitre du the et du bois [Master of Tea and Wood]. no. 100, May/June 1998. p. 21.
  • Louise Allison Cort. Twentieth-century Asian Crafts in the Sackler Gallery. vol. XLIII no. 3. p. 24, fig. 18.
  • Du Liqin. Kuayue dongxi zhi jian de qiao: Chen Jingliang [Chen Jingliang Bridge between East and West]. no. 562, February 1998. pp. 46-49.
  • Wang Mingzhu. Taiwan huyi fuxing de tuidongje Chen Jingliang [Taiwan's Activist in the Revival of the Art of the Teapot: Chen Jingliang]. Issue 31 Taiwan. p. 52.
Collection Area(s)
Chinese Art, Contemporary Art
Web Resources
Whistler's Neighborhood
Google Cultural Institute
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