Shi piao
19 different types of shi piao teapot
1. Mansheng shi piao 曼生石瓢
Chen Mansheng 陈曼生 was a master of calligraphy, painting and seal carving in the Qing Dynasty. When he was an official in Liyang, Jiangsu, he met Yang Pengnian 杨彭年 , a famous teapot maker, and started an era of cooperation between "famous scholars and famous craftsmen".


▲Man Sheng inscription, made by Peng Nian Shi Piao Teapot with a Hoop Handle 石瓢提梁壶

▲Man Sheng inscription, made by Peng Nian 石瓢提梁壶 ▲曼生銘 彭年制
Man Sheng Shipiao, although it was not called Shipiao at that time, it was called Piaohu.

2.Zi Ye shi piao 子冶石瓢
Qu Ziye 瞿子冶, a famous Shanghai scholar during the Jiaqing and Daoguang periods of the Qing Dynasty, was not only skilled in poetry, calligraphy and painting, but also in bronze and stone appreciation and teapot craftsmanship.
▲Pot made by Peng Nian and engraved by Zi Ye ▲彭年制壺 子冶銘刻


▲Plum blossoms carved by Qiao Luzhou and stamped by Peng Nian

▲Made by Ji'an, engraved by Ziye

▲顾景舟制 子冶石瓢 ▲Gu Jingzhou shi piao
3.Xinzhou Shipiao 心舟石瓢
He Xinzhou 何心舟 is a famous purple clay artist in the late Qing Dynasty. Unlike Man Sheng and Zi Ye, He Xinzhou not only designed purple clay pots, but also personally participated in the production and seal carving, from beginning to end. He Xinzhou's shipiao made many innovations in the shape of the vessel, with a unique style and charm, full of literati atmosphere. He Xinzhou and Wang Dongshi 王东石 founded Yucheng Kiln 玉成窑 in Cixi, Zhejiang (now Jiangbei District, Ningbo). At that time, many masters of calligraphy and painting such as Mei Diaoding 梅调鼎 and Ren Bonian 任伯年 gathered together to form a team with extremely high artistic standards. Yucheng Kiln initially inherited the literati charm of Man Sheng's pot, and later gradually formed its own style, which became famous for a while.

4.Guangming Shipiao 光明石瓢
Chen Guangming 陈光明 was a famous purple sand artist in the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China. His works were simple and elegant, and delicate. His personal experience was the same as Gu Jingzhou's. He once imitated antiques in Shanghai. Gu Jingzhou's Shipiao was improved on the basis of Guangming Shipiao. Gu Jingzhou once commented that among the purple sand artists who imitated antiques in Shanghai at that time, Chen Guangming's craftsmanship was the most exquisite. Unfortunately, very few of his pots have been handed down, which is a pity.

▲ Made by Chen Guangming, Guangming shi piao
5.Jingzhou Shipiao
Gu Jingzhou's 顾景舟"Jingzhou Shipiao" is an improvement on the Guangming Shipiao 光明石瓢. Becoming the most famous Shipiao pot after Ziye Shipiao. It combines the essence of predecessors and adds Gu Jingzhou's unique artistic insights, bringing this classic pot shape to a new height.

▲ 顧景舟製 景舟石瓢 五大石瓢之一 ▲ Gu Jingzhou made Jingzhou shi piao, one of the five great shi piao
Compared with Guangming Shipiao, the overall outline of Jingzhou Shipiao is tougher, the spout is tilted upward, and the handle is more powerful. However, Jingzhou Shipiao is more rounded and full, with smooth and natural lines, so it is also called "full shipiao"“满瓢” man piao. Although it is similar to Guangming Shipiao in shape, they are two different artistic styles.
6.ai shi piao 矮石瓢
Gu Jingzhou's short (ai)shipiao has a curved spout and a flatter body, but it still retains the classic outline of the shipiao. The neck has been adjusted, and the lid is slightly raised, showing Gu's exquisite skills and unique understanding of shape design, and reflecting his precise grasp of lines and proportions.

7. Han Tang Shipiao 汉棠石瓢
Han Tang Shipiao is an innovation of Chinese arts and crafts master Xu Han Tang based on his teacher Gu Jingzhou's ai shipiao. The main feature is that the spout has been changed into a three-bend tongue spout. The shape of the pot has extremely high requirements for lines, and the differences between different grades are very obvious.

8. Ping Gai Shi Piao 平蓋石瓢
Ping Gai Shi Piao was created by Gu Jingzhou in his later years. It combines the advantages of Ziye Shipiao and Manpiao, avoiding the disadvantages of Ziye pot's small mouth and Manpiao pot's knob being inconvenient to hold. The height ratio is just right, making it suitable for appreciation and easy to use.

9. Half Piao 半瓢
The Half Piao is also a masterpiece of Mansheng, also known as the Mansheng pot. The shape of the pot is round, simple and cute, yet elegant. It is a great choice for enjoying tea and is very tasteful.

10.Shiheng Shipiao 士恆石瓢
The name of Shiheng Shipiao 士恆石瓢 comes from Jin Shiheng 金士恆, who is a disciple of Qu Ziye 瞿子冶 . Jin Shiheng is the first Chinese cultural scholar and artist who brought purple clay pottery carving and Yixing traditional pot making skills to Japan. He is known as the "ancestor of Japanese pottery industry". The biggest difference between Shiheng Shipiao and Ziye Shipiao is that its neck has an anti-arc design, and the belly of the pot gradually becomes thicker, making the overall look fuller and more powerful. Compared with the tough style of Ziye Shipiao, Shiheng Shipiao looks more round and full, giving people a different feeling.

11.Yun Piao 蕴瓢

12. Ren Piao 任瓢

13. Overlord Shi Piao 霸王石瓢

14. gao shi piao 高石瓢

15. Chu piao 础瓢
16.ru piao 乳瓢

17.Hanpiao 憨瓢

18. Na piao 納瓢
The Na Piao is an improvement on the Zi Ye Shipiao, which not only retains the hardness and strength of the Zi Ye, but also incorporates the gentleness and softness of the round pot. At the same time, the mouth and lid are enlarged, and the three-foot bottom is changed to a single-foot bottom, with an excellent overall design. The name of the pot "Na Piao" means that the sea accommodates all rivers and is great because of its tolerance.

19.Niu Gai Shi Piao 牛蓋石瓢

Where to buy shipiao?
