Teapot

The inscription on this pear-shaped teapot, which reads "with heroism to carry forward the glory, made by Liu Pei," is worthy of the vessel's well-proportioned classical form, a form which gained considerable fame in the Yongle reign and was popularized throughout the Ming period. The elegance of the form is particularly demonstrated by the streamlined profile which is echoed by the round-knobbed lid at the top. A thinly potted body and burnished, smooth surface were the supreme concerns of these potters about whom we know little else (Bartholomew 1978: 30). Their wares became the standards of form by which potters' skills would be judged, and wares following these prototypes were potted over and over by yixing masters even into the present (Urban Council 1981: pls. 35-8).