Full Hand-made・Zi ni (紫泥)

We were first introduced to the work of Pan Yi by the former director of San Francisco’s Asian Arts Museum. Though Yi hails from a long line of zisha potters, she identifies with a new generation of zisha artists who eschew the status seeking tradition of the craft. While her emphasis still lies in techniques inherent to her trade, Yi permits her artistic inclinations to shine throughout her work.

We’ve been lucky to collaborate with Pan Yi as she’s navigated her field, quickly rising in the ranks of celebrated Yixing potters. Her teapots, formed entirely by hand with the aid of wooden paddles and delicate clay coils, are finely weighted, each spout, handle, and lid a feat of precision and balance. This piece is formed from Zi ni, a clay body originally mined in Huang Long Shan. The iron in the clay darkens to the color of a ripe plum during the firing process, and is burnished to a leather-like texture.

Like all zisha pots, the Zi ni clay is porous, allowing oils from the tea to ‘season’ the pot. For this reason, we dedicate a single tea type to each of our zisha teapots, and refrain from washing them with soap. Over time, your pot will adopt a sheen, and a terroir, all of its own.

Usage and care: Thoroughly rinse particles of sand from the interior before use. Dedicate one tea type per pot. Eventually, a tea pot will be seasoned with the particular character of a tea. Hand-wash only without soap or detergent.

Dimensions: 58mm tall, 93mm diameter, 200ml capacity・Artist: 潘荑