There is a connecting link between tea lovers and art lovers around the world.It is The Teapot.

In 2001, Garth Clark wrote the book, “The Artful Teapot: 20th Centry Expressions From The Kamm Collection” to accompany the traveling show featuring more than 200 contemporary pieces featuring more than 100 internationally known artists. These are from a private collection owned by Sonny and Gloria Kamm who have collected more than 7,500 teapots. This is considered the largest collection of teapots in the US and may be the largest in the world.

In an article for AbsoluteARts.com, David Gignac writes, “The Artful Teapot demonstrates how the teapot can be provocative, playful, and profound as well as conventional. Addressing aesthetic, social, and political issues, the exhibition examines the teapot’s ability to be more than just a device to serve tea.” His teapot from the collection is known as “The Celestial Teapot” is shown here (right).

It may be that devotees of the leaf and the brew are as perplexed by the way in which the world’s artists interpret teapot as others are about tea lovers are become involved with the world of tea. But this beautiful publication remains now, long after the teapots have been returned to their place with the Kamms. But teapot shows continue and artists working in all mediums continue to add to the ongoing conversation.

I happen to love the spirit and whimsy of the pieces in this collection. And, while this show is no longer available to us and the book is rather expensive, it speaks to my ongoing question, “WHY”. Why does tea inspire such depth and eloquence? We know that the history of tea goes back almost 5000 years. But the history of teapots goes back more than 1000 years.

The Early History of The Teapot

Until 1500, tea in China was primarily exchanged in compressed bricks of uniform dimensions so that it could be exchanged and taxed as a commodity. When the tax was abolished, interest in brewing a fresher, full leaf grew but there was no vessel designed to accommodate. It was in the pottery town of Yixing that teapot mythology tells us, the teapot was invented. The Chinese writer, Chou Kao-ch’l (1573-1619) tells the story of a strange monk who waked through the streets crying, “Riches and honors for sale!” the locals laughed. He continued, “If you do not want to buy honors, how about riches?” He led the village elders to caves in the hills where they found veins of brightly colored clays. The clay deposits are no myth and we still hold these wares in the highest esteem. Yixing is considered by ceramic artists to be the historical birthplace of the teapot.

The legend is that a monk modeled the first teapots by hand from a single lump of clay. It is said that the demand for his craft grew quickly and the recognition of the artist-potter produced several internationally recognized masters. And we have seen some of these ancient works command more than $1,000,000 in auction.

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