Fanggu
Also written 仿鼓 · 扁鼓壶
A rounded Yixing teapot with a broad, drum-like body and a defined neck. The lid and knob echo the body's flattened curves.
On this page
- 1Knob
- 2Lid
- 3Spout
- 4Handle
- 5Body
- 6Base
Form#
- Knob
- 1flattened round cushion knob (扁圆钮) echoing the drum-shaped belly, pierced with a central vent hole
- Lid
- 2slightly domed lipped lid (压盖) whose rim interlocks with the mouth collar in a mother-and-child flange (子母线)
- Spout
- 3short, muscular one-bend curved spout (一弯流) rising from the upper belly
- Handle
- 4ear-shaped loop handle (耳形鋬), often terminating in a small lower pendant tab (垂耳)
- Body
- 5round and drum-like (扁鼓腹), swelling at the shoulder and rising through a concave neck (短束颈) to a collared mouth rim
- Base
- 6recessed concave base (内凹底 / 一捺底) or broad low ring foot (圈足)
Examples in the catalogues
Two fanggu pots have a broad body rising to a distinct neck and a domed lid. Their proportions differ: the catalogue gives 12 cm high by 17 cm wide for one and 10.5 by 19.5 cm for the other. On the first it reads 岩如 on the lid and 宜陶名作 on the base. On the second it records 寿珍 on the lid, 寿印 inside, 真记 at the handle and a longer base inscription.
Working volume#
Use the volume to the intended fill level, rather than the exterior dimensions or shape name. Leave room for the leaves and lid, and choose cups or a serving pitcher that can receive a complete infusion. Two pots of the same named form may have very different working capacities.
Variants and sub-types#
| Name | 中文 | Difference | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daheng Fanggu | 大亨仿鼓 | Daoguang-era masterpiece by Shao Daheng (邵大亨, 1796–1850); modelled on an ancient war drum (战鼓) with a powerfully inflated oblate belly, wide flat-collared neck, broad lipped lid (压盖) with tight mother-and-child rim alignment (子母线), flattened bead knob (扁珠钮), and a muscular one-bend spout balanced by an ear handle . | 145 |
| Shouzhen Fanggu | 寿珍仿古 | A version associated with Cheng Shouzhen, with a raised shoulder, curved spout and loop handle. Award claims require separate contemporary documentation and are not used here to establish its history. | 245 |
| Jingzhou Flat Fanggu (Bian Fanggu) | 景舟仿古 / 扁仿古 | Gu Jingzhou's mid-20th-century refinement, compressing the drum body into a taut, poised lenticular curve with razor-sharp collar and lid lines. | 134 |
| Ruyi Fanggu | 如意仿古 | Sculptural variant in which four symmetrical ruyi cloud-sceptre lappets (如意云纹) are carved in low relief across the rounded shoulder and echoed by a foliate pattern on the lid and knob. | 14 |
Gu Yue illustrates two pots under the name Fanggu. Compare the height of the lid knobs, the points where the handles meet the shoulders and the way each lower wall turns inward. Both examples retain a broad, low body. (2011, pp. 101–102, 110)
History#
- Qing, Daoguang eraShao Daheng (邵大亨, c. 1796–1850) created the canonical drum-bodied 仿鼓壶 ('imitating a war drum', later also written 仿古壶, 'imitating antiquity'); an example in the Nanjing Museum measures H 9.5 × W 17.5 cm.4
- late Qing to early RepublicCheng Shouzhen (程寿珍, 1858–1939, studio mark 冰心道人) reworked Daheng's form with a higher shoulder and bolder spout, and was famed alongside his duoqiu and hanbian pots for the fanggu shape.24
- 20th centuryGu Jingzhou standardized the modern proportions of the Daheng-lineage fanggu (H 8.5–9.8 × W 14.2–16.8 cm) and said the flattened fanggu (扁仿古) was the piece of his own he was most satisfied with.34
Attributions are shown as the source states them.
Sources#
- 顾见心舟-品茶啜茗当清风 (观复博物馆, 2025-03-08) ↗
- 近代紫砂的发展 (2009-10-22) ↗
- 天价“景舟壶”背后藏深情 (环球人物, 2016-01-06) ↗
- 顧景舟主編《宜興紫砂珍賞》 / Appreciation of Yixing Zisha Ware (1992)
- 贺云翱主编：《紫砂大师访谈录》
- 古月编著：《紫砂壶图谱》
- 吾壶四海 (2009)
Status and editorial notes sources cited
Sources are listed below. Their presence does not certify every claim; source-specific interpretations and unresolved questions are identified in the text. This page has not received independent expert approval.
2026-11-05: revised after the homepage evidence audit. Historical attributions, model dimensions and practical guidance are distinguished; unresolved claims remain qualified. Earlier editorial conclusions are superseded by the current text.