Xishi

Form#

Knob

1flattened round bead (圆珠钮) on a short constricted stem, echoing the curve of the body

Lid

2cut lid (截盖) whose dome continues the upper body contour without a step

Spout

3short, conical and slightly curved (短锥形一弯流, 'cherry-lip spout')

Handle

4inverted ear (倒把), thick above and tapering downward where it joins the lower belly

Body

5full, oblate-globular belly, drawn in smoothly toward the base

Base

6一捺底 (yīnà dǐ, a footless concave base formed by pressing the bottom clay slab inward into a smooth shallow dimple rather than adding a foot ring)

¹³⁴ 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#

Modern examples vary in height, belly width and handle angle. Compare the continuity of lid and shoulder, the short spout and the turned-back handle before relying on a trade name. Xishi and wendan labels can overlap in modern descriptions; a flatter or taller profile does not by itself prescribe which tea to brew.

History#

The name links the rounded pot to the beauty Xi Shi. Modern accounts disagree over the maker and period associated with its origin. A poetic reference to Xi Shi, or a later interpretation of that reference, is not by itself evidence that a named potter invented the modern form. The maker and date of invention remain unresolved here; dated objects and their catalogue attributions should be considered separately.

Related#