Still waiting for snow these days, but winter’s chill is here anyway.  Time to settle in with a hot cuppa . . .

Newark Museumimage from the Newark Museum Website

The teapot above is from the Exhibition at the Newark Museum in New Jersey, The Teapot, featuring sixty six variations of this vessel. The exhibition chronicles the history of the teapot, beginning in China as a functional vessel several hundred years ago.  The Arts and Crafts movement in the 1800’s brought forth the idea of objects being works of art as well as being functional.  In the twentieth century, non-functional teapots emerged as sculptural objects, often leaving utility behind.

Suzanne Crane TeapotFooted Basket-Handles Teapot, 14 x 9.5 x 6″, Suzanne Crane

Suzanne Crane has  wonderful line of pottery, which includes the Footed Basket-Handles Teapot.  Though the handles look like wrought iron, they are clay.  Visit her website for more nature-inspired pottery:  http://www.artscraftspotteryandtiles.com/

Jacques Vesery“Printemps Thé au Café du Métro”
Springtime at the Metro Café by Jacques Vesery
carved/ textured cherry, acrylics, patinated bronze

Jacques Vesery is an artist/sculptor living in Maine. His vision and inspiration begins with repetitive patterns derived from the ‘golden mean’ or ‘divine proportions’. See more teapots, as well as other sculptural work on his website:  www.jacquesvesery.com

Hironobu NishitatenoTeacup, by Hironobu Nishitateno

My favorite teacup by Nanten Pottery.  Owner Nishitateno creates all of his own glazes, using ash from various plants, feldspar, and various clays.  This particular glaze, above, is so soft and smooth.  Drinking tea becomes a zen experience, from holding the warm mug, feeling the texture, appreciating the beautiful green color of the tea within, and meditating on the spiral center.

Strange how a teapot can represent

at the same time

the comforts of solitude

and the

pleasures of company.

             -Zen Haiku

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