Branch Teapot

Object Details

• Artist

  Ah Leon 陳景亮 (Taiwan, born 1953)

• 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.

• Collection

  National Museum of Asian Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Honoring Friends: Recent Gifts by Members of the Freer and Sackler Galleries (June 10 to November 25, 2001)

  Bridge: Illusion in Clay (March 2 to July 6, 1997)

  The Arts of China (November 18, 1990 to September 7, 2014)

• Origin

  Taipei, Taiwan

• Credit Line

  Purchase -- funds provided by the Friends of Asian Arts

• Type

  Vessel

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

  There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.

  The information presented on this website may be revised and updated at any time as ongoing research progresses or as otherwise warranted. Pending any such revisions and updates, information on this site may be incomplete or inaccurate or may contain typographical errors. Neither the Smithsonian nor its regents, officers, employees, or agents make any representations about the accuracy, reliability, completeness, or timeliness of the information on the site. Use this site and the information provided on it subject to your own judgment. The National Museum of Asian Art welcomes information that would augment or clarify the ownership history of objects in their collections.

Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1990s

• Name

  Leon, Ah

• Place

  Taipei, Taiwan

• Topic

  Tea, Contemporary Art, Unglazed, Art, Stoneware, Chinese Art, Ceramics, Modern period (1912 - present)

• Culture

  Chinese

• Object Type

  Vessels (containers)