Teapots as artistic expression.

Teapots as artistic expression or for functional use.

6/24/2024

All images taken by Koos Badenhorst

Chicago museum of Art - Meissen teapot

Have you ever looked at a teapot and think of its elements as symbols; particularly symbols of people?
Lets break the different elements of a teapot down and discuss its function.

There is a teapot body that holds content( hot liquid) There is a spout that makes a pathway to let the contents flow. It has a lid that holds content cozy and warm inside the teapot belly. There is a handle which, when steered anywhere or in any direction, will let the content either go out the spout, or out the body opening and then there is a foot rim that prevents liquid in the teapot from getting cold when standing on a cold surface, but that will also prevent the hot liquid to burn the surface on which it stands. The foot rim also keeps the teapot firmly on the surface and helps to balance the weight.

The body can take on any form, but in the end, the transition between the body and spout and the balance between handle and foot rim must be smooth, or liquid will not flow well. ‭‭

A handle situated correctly will make it easy to guide the body to direct the liquid to the spout. When the handle is tilted towards the spout, the liquid will flow easily, in an eloquent stream, or it will spatter and spit as it comes out, depending on how well the spout is formed. A well formed lid, will stay in place and not fall out if the teapot is tilted. If it must be held in place with the other hand it is not well formed. Consider an elderly, frail and weaker person pouring tea; they may need 2 hands just to hold the teapot. There must be a vent hole in the lid (some are in other places on the teapot), because steam builds up when filled with hot liquid and forces spattering at the gallery between the lid and body, if there is not a vent hole where the steam can escape.
Then there is a foot rim which is finishing the form of your teapot. For a functional teapot this is a big consideration, because as the maker you do not know what kind of surface the teapot will stand on. A cold surface will cool the liquid down too quickly, whereas a wooden table may burn from the hot liquid. If the surface where the teapot will be used, is not perfectly smooth ( consider knotted wood or pebble stone tables) the foot must be as such that it will still keep the teapot balanced and up right.

To spark your imagination , consider yourself as a teapot. What kind of teapot are you?
Are you the teapot that pours eloquently, or do you spatter and spit? Are you the one whose lid needs to be held in place by another hand, to prevent you from spattering from under your lid or do you stay in place and do not spatter when tilted?

Are you a teapot with a sturdy and strong handle that directs the body well, or one that pulls the body down?

What kind of a foot rim do you have is you are a teapot? One that stands firm and holds the body away from a hot or cold surface, or do you not have any foot rim at all.

Teapots in Conversation by Antoinette Badenhorst.

Images taken during a teapot show at NCECA

Making a sculpted teapot.

To create sculpted teapots, the same elements are considered, but any other elements can be added or left out, with the condition that the teapot sculpture must be recognizable as a teapot. The artist has the freedom to suggest a body, a handle a spout like in the teapot by Lou Pierozzi in which his teapot may possibly refer to a steam kettle. See my article about him in A Ceramics Art and Perception Magazine: "One man’s junk is another man’s treasure"
The term "suggest" can become a an open space for instance suggesting there is a lid, often referred to it as an ewer.
Richard Notkin created many teapots during his long clay career. Some of his most known teapots were in the shape of a heart. He used this theme over and over to convey messages. See my article written article Peace/War, Survival/Extinction An Artist’s Plea For Sanity

Jim Lawton teapot/ewer

As so often happens with me, I lost the information of some artists below.
If you happen to know who created this teapot, please let me know.
It is created from porcelain, breaking loose from a leather bag.

Teapot by Lou Pierozzi

Help me identify the makers of these teapots.

Porcelain teaset

Jeff Campana teaset

Kurt Weiser Teapot

Small collectors teapots by Antoinette

Below is a hand full of my own teapots that I made over the years. Most of them found homes.
The small collectors teapots are on average the size of a small orange. Although they all function as teapots, it is considered to be ornaments, due to the size, but also the way handles, lids, knobs and in many cases the foot rim were created.