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Lotus-seed pot

liánzǐ hú

Traditional 蓮子壺

A teapot named after the lotus seed. Zhou Gaoqi (1640s) lists lotus-seed pots among Chen Yongqing's forms; the Flagstaff House Museum of Tea Ware holds a late 19th-century flat lotus-seed pot with an overhead handle and an ox-snout lid.

On this page
Lotus-seed pot teapot, side view
Lotus-seed pot teapot, side view
  1. 1Knob
  2. 2Lid
  3. 3Spout
  4. 4Handle
  5. 5Body
  6. 6Base
Side view of a rounded teapot with an overhead handle.Reference height · 11.7 cm · Overhead-handled pot with ox-snout cover, C81.362 · Flagstaff House, The Art of the Yixing Potter no.68, p.181, PDF 185. Height follows the cited example. Other proportions are schematic.

Form#

Knob
1round bead knob (宝珠钮) on upright Ming–Qing lotus-seed pots, or a central bridge bar between twin ox-nostril openings (牛鼻孔盖) on late-Qing and Republic flat lotus-seed pots
Lid
2domed cap lid (盎盖 / 压盖) on upright forms, or flush ox-nostril lid (牛盖) on the Flagstaff House and Pei Shimin examples
Spout
3curved one-bend or three-bend spout (一弯流 / 三弯流) rising from the belly
Handle
4ear-shaped side loop handle (耳形鋬, often with a small lower tab 垂耳) on standard upright forms; arched overhead handle (提梁) on the Flagstaff House C1981.0362 variant shown above
Body
5full ovoid or upright-globular belly rounded like a plump lotus seed (直身卵圆如莲子), rising to a straight collar neck on early tall forms (古莲子) or compressed into a broader drum on flat lotus-seed (扁莲子 / 牛盖莲子) forms
Base
6neat ring foot (圈足)

345 Numbers mark the parts described under Form.

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DifferenceSources
Ming Tall Lotus-seed (Zhishen Lianzi)明式直身高莲子Late-Ming and early-Qing upright oval drum form recorded by Zhou Gaoqi (《阳羡茗壶系》), with a tall cylindrical-ovoid belly, recessed ring foot, wide mouth, and slightly domed cap lid (H 10.5–13.5 cm; K.S. Lo Cat. 16).125
Gongfu Zhuni Lianzi (Ailianzi)工夫朱泥矮莲子Mid- to late-Qing compact zhuni lotus-seed pot with a fuller, more globular belly, lipped lid (压盖), and curved spout, widely exported to Minnan, Chaozhou, and Southeast Asia (Jingxi Zhuni).34
Ox-lid Lotus-seed (Niugai Lianzi)牛盖莲子壶20th-century classic perfected by Pei Shimin (裴石民) and Gu Jingzhou (顾景舟), pairing a plump, broad-shouldered lotus-seed body with a recessed twin-nostril ox-snout lid (牛鼻盖) bridged by a central grip bar.35

History#

  1. Ming (Wanli to Chongzhen)Zhou Gaoqi lists lotus-seed (蓮子) pots alongside 'hot-water bottle' (湯婆), alms-bowl (缽盂) and round-bead (圓珠) forms as Chen Yongqing's (陈用卿) work, noting that he shaped these round vessels without a compass; extant late-Ming/early-Qing upright 古蓮子壺 measure roughly H 9.6 × W 12.1 cm (Jingxi Zhuni Plate 51).14
  2. Qing, Kangxi to QianlongProduced both in larger zini versions (Jingxi Zhuni Plate 58, H 8.7 × W 11.4 cm) and in small zhuni gongfu versions signed 逸公 (Plate 60, H 6.2 × W 9.1 cm) or stamped with the wooden seal 「壬辰仲秋荊溪惠孟臣製」 (Table 1 Group B5–B10).4
  3. late 19th centuryFlat lotus-seed pot with overhead handle and ox-snout lid, seals 'Chen Guangming' (陳光明) and 'Feng', Flagstaff House C1981.0362.3
  4. 1960sPei Shimin (裴石民, 1892–1976) created the side-handled ox-nostril lotus-seed pot (牛盖莲子壶, Flagstaff House collection, H 7.5 × W 12.0 cm, ~280–320 mL), pairing the double-perforated lid of the yangtong pot with a low lotus-seed belly.5

Attributions are shown as the source states them.

Related#

Shapes

Overhead-handle pot

Mentioned in

Shi Dabin

Sources#

  1. 周高起《陽羨茗壺系》 (Ming, 1640s), Wikisource editionWikisource (public-domain text; revision oldid 2613092) · Primary texts · Accessed 2026-11-02 ↗
  2. 周高起《阳羡茗壶系》(c. 1640), web transcriptionSimpleLits (public-domain text) · Reference works · Accessed 2026-11-02 ↗
  3. 陽羨清韻：茶具文物館羅桂祥珍藏紫砂器 / Tea Ware from Yixing: Gems of Zisha Ware in the K.S. Lo Collection (exhibition pamphlet, May 2020)Hong Kong Museum of Art / Flagstaff House Museum of Tea Ware, LCSD · Reference works · Accessed 2026-11-02 ↗
  4. 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盈記唐人工藝出版社, Taipei (ISBN 978-957-0499-19-3, Plates 51, 58, 60; Table 1 Group B5–B10) · Museum catalogues and books
  5. 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)Urban Council, Hong Kong / Flagstaff House Museum of Tea Ware (ISBN 962-215-096-9) · Museum catalogues and books
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.