Hehuan
Traditional 合歡壺
A Yixing teapot whose body is made of an upper and a lower half joined into one, which gives it its name ('joined in joy'). It is listed among the Mansheng eighteen forms.
On this page
- 1Knob
- 2Lid
- 3Spout
- 4Handle
- 5Body
- 6Base
Form#
- Knob
- 1flattened round button knob (扁圆钮) pierced with a central vent hole
- Lid
- 2slightly domed lipped lid (微凸压盖 / 截盖) continuing the slope of the upper cone
- Spout
- 3curved one-bend spout (一弯流) rising from the lower half of the body across the equatorial seam
- Handle
- 4ring ear handle (环耳形鋬) spanning the upper and lower halves
- Body
- 5oblate double-cymbal body formed by luting two flared, shallow halves face-to-face along the widest equatorial ridge (折腰中线)
- Base
- 6splayed ring foot (圈足), stamped 阿曼陀室 on Mansheng examples
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mansheng Cymbal Hehuan (Da Hehuan) | 曼生大合欢 / 扁合欢 | Jiaqing-era literati form designed by Chen Mansheng (陈曼生) and potted by Yang Pengnian (杨彭年), constructed by joining two flared cymbal-like truncated cones (双钹相合) along a crisp equatorial ridge, with a flat inset collar lid, short curved spout, and ring foot . | 125 |
| Rounded Shoulder Hehuan | 圆肩合欢壶 | Softened Qing and Republic-era variant in which the upper and lower halves meet at a rounded, cord-belted waist (束带纹 or 凹肩线) rather than a knife-sharp angle (Bartholomew 1977 Cat. 14; Jingxi Zhuni). | 34 |
| Ribbed / Lobed Hehuan (Jinwen Hehuan) | 筋纹合欢 / 菊瓣合欢 | Biomorphic-geometric crossover in which the double-cymbal body is divided into radiating chrysanthemum petals (菊瓣) or vertical ribs (筋纹) meeting along the equatorial seam. | 25 |
History#
- Qing, Jiaqing era (1815)Designed by Chen Mansheng (陈曼生) and made by Yang Pengnian (杨彭年) among the Mansheng eighteen forms; according to Mansheng's inscription (《曼生壺銘》), the double-cone body was inspired by twin bronze cymbals (大鈸 / 鐃鈸) clashing face-to-face at a banquet (「試陽羨茶，煮合江水，坡仙之徒，皆大歡喜」). A dated Jiaqing yihai (1815) example made by Yang Pengnian and inscribed by Mansheng's associate Guo Lin (郭麐, 'Teapot number 1,379') is in the Flagstaff House K.S. Lo Collection (Cat. 46, H 6.7 × W 11.4 cm; Bartholomew 1977 Cat. 17, H 7.0 × L 15.9 cm); another Mansheng example donated by Tang Yun to the Shanghai Museum measures H 8.4 cm, rim Ø 6.7 cm.1235
- late QingAlso potted in small gongfu zhuni versions, such as a Guangxu-era 權寅款合歡朱泥壺 (Jingxi Zhuni Plate 197, H 5.6 × W 10.4 cm).4
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) ↗
- The Art of the Yixing Potter: The K.S. Lo Collection, Flagstaff House Museum of Tea Ware (茶具文物館羅桂祥珍藏宜興紫砂陶器, 1990)
- Terese Tse Bartholomew, I-Hsing Ware (1977)
- 黃健亮、黃怡嘉《荊溪朱泥：明清宜興朱泥壺研究》 / Jingxi Zhuni: The Study of Yixing Zhuni Teapots During the Ming and Qing Dynasties
- 顧景舟主編《宜興紫砂珍賞》 / Appreciation of Yixing Zisha Ware (1992)
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.