Yixing Teapots: The Art of Both Form & Function (May 13, 2011)
The stoneware clays of Yixing, China, known locally as “zisha” or “purple sand,” have been shaped into handsome utilitarian objects since the 14th century. By the 17th century, local craftsmen were using Yixing clay to create aesthetically sophisticated teapots for the scholar gentry of China.

On display at the University of Oklahoma's Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art through Sunday, May 15th, is a collection of these dutifully crafted and visually pleasing Yixing teapots from the James T. Bialac collection. 

Dr. Alan Atkinson, OU Art Historian and Yixing tea pot enthusiast, offers his insights into the significance of both tea and the finely crafted pottery in the Tea and Immortality: Contemporary Chinese Teapots from the James T. Bialic Collection.

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