Wang Xiaolong 王小龙
written by siyutao art team
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Jiangsu Provincial Ceramic Arts Master (2nd batch, 2016)
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Senior Master of Arts and Crafts (Zhenggaoji)
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Member of Jiangsu Provincial Ceramic Arts Committee
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Member of Jiangsu Provincial Arts and Crafts Society
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Municipal-Level Representative Inheritor of Intangible Cultural Heritage (Wuxi)
Born in September 1940 in Zisha Village, Yixing, Wang Xiaolong grew up in the renowned Wang family pottery tradition. He began learning the craft from his father, Wang Yinchun, at an early age. In 1954, he was already able to make standard round teapots and joined the local cooperative with his father. In 1955, he became a student of Zhu Kexin, a master of floral-style pottery. By 1957, he had taken on the role of junior instructor, training young apprentices, and has since devoted himself to the design and creation of Yixing purple clay teapots.
Wang Xiaolong’s creative approach is distinguished by a seamless integration of technical skill, artistic conception, and craftsmanship. His works are marked by an elegant, refined, and dignified personal style, and he is recognized as an outstanding inheritor of the century-old Wang family teapot legacy. His creations have received numerous awards and have been exhibited both domestically and internationally. Among his innovative series, Football, Tree-Stump Honeycomb, Yishou Jili (Longevity & Auspiciousness), and Yuan Wuyan (Wordless Fate), the distinctive lid-and-mouth designs and the highly complex making techniques were pioneering achievements in the history of purple clay art and have been granted national patents. Many of his pieces are held in the collections of museums and private collectors worldwide.
Trained first under his father and later, from 1955, under the floral master Zhu Kexin at Yixing Purple Clay Craft Factory, Wang Xiaolong excels in all major forms: smooth geometric vessels (round and square), floral-and-plant sculptural pieces, and ribbed/twist vessels. His dignified and refined style is the hallmark of his work, and he is a principal bearer of the century-old Wang family teapot art.
Wang is also a dedicated innovator. His patented series, Football, Tree-Stump Honeycomb, and Yishou Jili, introduced original lid-and-mouth designs and challenging fabrication methods that were unprecedented in purple clay history. In addition to his studio practice, he attaches great importance to theoretical research. He has published seven technical and critical essays, including “The Source of Inspiration for the ‘Tree-Stump Honeycomb Teapot’,” in journals such as China Collectors, Fine Art Review, and Chinese Purple Clay Culture and Art. He served on the editorial board of Centenary Memorial of Zhu Kexin’s Purple Clay Art (with a dedicated personal section) and has written numerous reminiscences about senior masters of purple clay.
Every piece Wang Xiaolong creates is executed with meticulous refinement, embodying profound technical mastery while offering both practical functionality and aesthetic appreciation, highly collectible. His recent patented lid-and-mouth designs and new exterior forms are unprecedented achievements in the field and stand as masterpieces of extraordinary quality. His Dragon-Bound Bamboo Teapot and Great Yaming Square Teapot are held in the collections of the Nanjing Museum and the Zhongnanhai Purple Light Gallery, respectively, and many other works are treasured by museums and collectors around the world.
