Editing Teapot (section)

==History==
=== China ===
[[Image:Chinese teapot.JPG|thumb|Chinese porcelain hand painted blue and white teapot, 18th century]]
[[File:Glass tea kettle, Kashgar.jpg|thumb|Glass teapot containing mint leaves, being warmed by a [[tealight]], [[Kashgar]], [[Xinjiang]], China]]
The switch to specialized vessels for tea brewing was powered by the change from [[powdered tea]] to [[leaf tea]] and from whipping to steeping{{sfn|Chow|Kramer|1990|p=66}} in China. It is hard to pinpoint the time of the invention of the teapot since vessels in shapes similar to the modern teapot were known in China since the [[Neolithic period]] but were initially used for water and wine, as boiling or whipping tea did not require a specialized container. When tea preparation switched to infusion (during the late [[Yuan dynasty]]),{{sfn|Lo|1986|p=18}} an [[ewer]]-like vessel was first used.{{sfn|Chow|Kramer|1990|p=66}} Tea preparation during previous dynasties did not use a teapot.{{sfn|Lo|1986|p=18}}

In the [[Tang dynasty]], a cauldron was used to boil ground tea and serve it in bowls. [[Song dynasty]] tea was made by boiling water in a kettle and then pouring the water into a bowl with finely ground tea leaves. A brush was then used to stir the tea. Written evidence of a teapot appears in the Yuan dynasty text ''Jiyuan Conghua'', which describes a teapot that the author, Cai Shizhan, bought from the scholar Sun Daoming. By the [[Ming dynasty]], teapots were widespread in China.{{sfn|Lo|1986|p=18}} There are early examples of teapots, like the ones made in [[Jun ware]] and the eight-lobed [[celadon]] pots of the Song-Yuan times. Still, an expert on [[Yixing ware]], Kuei-Hsiang Lo, believes that the first teapots made especially for tea appeared around 1500 as copies of much earlier Yixing wine pots.{{sfn|Chow|Kramer|1990|p=66}} The earliest example of such a teapot that has survived to this day seems to be the one in the [[Flagstaff House Museum of Teaware]]; it has been dated to 1513 and is attributed to Gong Chun,<ref>Collecting teapots Leah Rousmaniere {{ISBN|0-375-72045-6}}</ref> the "father of Yixing teapot".{{sfn|Chow|Kramer|1990|pp=66-67}}

Early teapots, like those still used in modern [[Gongfu tea|Gongfu tea ceremonies]], were small by Western standards meant for individual tea consumption.{{sfn|Ukers|1935|p=436}} They use a higher ratio of leaves to water, which enables the brewer to control the brewing variables to create several small infusions. After brewing, tea would be decanted into a separate vessel, distributed into the small cups of several drinkers, and brewed again. This allows the tea to be brewed skillfully and allows the flavor changes to be experienced through the various infusions.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.imperialteapots.com/servlet/the-template/guidetoyixingteapots/Page |title=A Guide to YiXing Teapots |access-date=2011-04-07 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110323234907/http://www.imperialteapots.com/servlet/the-template/guidetoyixingteapots/Page |archive-date=2011-03-23 }}</ref>

Teapots made from pottery materials such as clay have been hand-fired for tens of thousands of years, originally in China. Clay is a popular material for teapots, as they tend to retain heat very well.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Smith|first=Krisi|title=World Atlas of Tea|publisher=Mitchell Beazley|year=2016|isbn=978-1-78472-124-4|location=Great Britain|pages=82|language=English}}</ref>

Many traditional Chinese teaware are [[Yixing ware]]. Yixing and other regional clays are left unglazed. This allows the clay to absorb the flavor of the teas brewed over time and enhance the taste of the tea going forward. Some Gongfu practitioners designate their unglazed pots for specific types, sometimes even particular tea varietals.

From the end of the 17th century, tea was shipped from China to Europe as part of the export of exotic spices and luxury goods. The ships that brought the tea also carried [[porcelain]] teapots.
The majority of these teapots were painted in [[Blue and white porcelain|blue and white]] [[underglaze]].
Porcelain, being completely vitrified, will withstand sea water without damage, so the teapots were packed below deck whilst the tea was stowed above deck to ensure that it remained dry.<ref>Teapots Paul Tippett {{ISBN|0-8212-2269-4}}</ref>

=== Japan ===
[[File:Household-kyusu-feb5-2015.jpg|thumb|A traditional Japanese teapot, ''[[kyūsu]]'', is commonly used for making Japanese green tea, ''[[sencha]]''. It often has a handle on the side of the pot]]
The ''[[kyūsu]]'' (急須), a common and traditional teapot in Japan, differs from the Chinese teapot in that it has a handle facing sideways to the spout.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=政光 |first=高宇 |title=日本茶の世界 |date=14 July 2022 |publisher=講談社 |isbn=978-4065286135 |series=講談社学術文庫 |language=ja |chapter=茶道具あれこれ 急須について }}</ref> However, some ''kyūsu'', like their Chinese counterparts, have the handle opposite the spout.<ref>{{Cite web |title=All you need to know about Japanese teapots |url=http://www.artisticnippon.com/japaneseteapots/kyusu.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090702055502/http://www.artisticnippon.com/japaneseteapots/kyusu.html |archive-date=2009-07-02 |access-date=2009-06-15}}</ref> ''Kyūsu'' is frequently made of ceramics.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=急須(キュウス)とは？ 意味や使い方 |url=https://kotobank.jp/word/%E6%80%A5%E9%A0%88-52096 |access-date=2024-05-07 |website=コトバンク |language=ja}}</ref>

The ''kyūsu'' has its origins in a Chinese tool used for tea ceremonies.<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last1=西村 |first1=俊範 |last2=ニシムラ |first2=トシノリ |date=Nov 2020 |title=江戸時代の急尾焼・急須 |url=https://kyotogakuen.repo.nii.ac.jp/records/1407 |journal=人間文化研究 |language=ja |issue=45 |pages=27–29}}</ref> Although the Chinese tool may have been used to boil water, it is unclear if it was used to steep tea back then.<ref name=":1" /> In Japan, ''kyūsu'' has been used since at least the 18th century.<ref name=":1" />

The side arrangement of the handle is considered unique to Japan.<ref name=":0" />{{sfn|Ukers|1935|pp=436-437}} However, the same feature can be found in some Chinese tools mentioned above.<ref name=":1" />

=== Morocco ===

[[File:Tetera marroquí metálica, para servir té verde.JPG|alt=Moroccan tea pot|thumb|A traditional Moroccan tea pot]]
In Morocco, stainless steel teapots are essential for making [[Maghrebi mint tea|Moroccan mint tea]]. Moroccan teapots are heat-resistant and can be put directly on the stove. Colorful tea glasses are part of the Moroccan tea ritual. The tea is considered drinkable only when it has foam on top. Teapots have a long curved spout to pour tea from a height of around {{convert|12|in|cm}} above the glasses, which produces foam on the surface of the tea.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.morocco.com/blog/moroccos-tea-drinking-tradition/|title=Morocco's Tea Drinking Tradition}}</ref> Their designs can range from simple to heavily decorated.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://moroccanzest.com/moroccan-tea-pot/|title=The Moroccan teapot|date=2018-11-14|work=Moroccanzest|access-date=2018-11-14|language=en-US}}</ref>

=== Tibet ===

[[File:Novice monk with teapot. Tashilhunpo, Tibet.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Novice monk holding a large teapot. [[Tashilhunpo]], Tibet]]
Teapots for [[butter tea]] in [[Tibet]] evolved simultaneously with teapots in China, eventually settling on a pitcher-like shape.{{sfn|Ukers|1935|p=437}}
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=== Europe ===
[[Image:Two teapots.JPG|thumb|Two [[Victorian era]] teapots]][[File:Shapes of 18th century European teapots.png|thumb|Shapes of 18th-century European teapots: A - pear-shaped (pyriform), B - globular, C - vase/urn]]
[[File:English_teaware.jpg|thumb|English silver teapot with teaware]]
The Yixing teapots came to Europe with the tea and became known as ''boccaro''  ("large mouth" in Portuguese).{{sfn|Ukers|1935|p=436}} The Chinese teapot models were used since preserving the Chinese way of drinking was considered essential.{{sfn|Ukers|1935|p=437}} The first known order for teapots "with covers and handles" dates back to 1639.{{sfn|Harris|2016|p=55}} Porcelain teapots were particularly desirable because porcelain could not be made in Europe back then, and tea drinking in Europe was initially the preserve of the upper classes. European teapots at the time were made of silver, with the earliest preserved English one at the [[Victoria and Albert Museum]], dated 1670,{{sfn|Ukers|1935|p=437}} looking identical to the earlier coffee pots. They can be identified as teapots only through an inscription.{{sfn|Harris|2016|p=55}} At the same time, copies of the Chinese [[earthenware]] teapots were produced (Fulham Pottery in London had already been manufacturing these in 1670).{{sfn|Pettigrew|2001|p=36}} It was not until 1708 that the first successful experiments by [[Ehrenfried Walther von Tschirnhaus|von Tschirnhaus]] enabled [[Johann Friedrich Böttger|Böttger]] and the [[Meissen porcelain|Meissen factory]] in [[Dresden]] to start the operation in 1710{{sfn|Colomban|Milande|2006|p=3}} and produce good copies of Japanese [[Kakiemon]] and [[Imari ware|Imari]] porcelain.{{sfn|Pettigrew|2001|p=82}}

When European potteries in Holland, Germany, and England began making tea wares, they initially imitated the Chinese ''boccaro'' designs.{{sfn|Ukers|1935|p=437}} However, many English potteries decided not to risk money on the new material and continued manufacturing earthenware and stoneware pots; the famed [[creamware]] services made in Staffordshire reached popularity in the second half of the 18th century.{{sfn|Pettigrew|2001|p=83}}

At the turn of the 18th century, the design and decoration of the European teapot started to deviate from the Chinese tradition, with the pear shape, or {{vanchor|Pyriform|text='''pyriform'''}}, being the first major novation. An early English pyriform teapot dates back to 1690. The shape became widespread at the time of [[Anne, Queen of Great Britain|Queen Anne]] and has remained in vogue since then. The other popular shapes in the 18th century were "globular" (sphere-like vessel on a raised foot) and a vase (or urn, [[Louis XV style]]), with the latter being a rare comeback to the wine-pot origins of a teapot.{{sfn|Ukers|1935|pp=437-438}}

In the last half of the 18th century, English factories introduced the matched sets of teaware. The original demand for "China" porcelain [[tea set]]s was eventually replaced, at least among the wealthy, with enthusiasm for silver pieces that were produced extensively by the end of the reign of [[George III]]. This period also saw a reduction in the price of tea, so teapots became larger.{{sfn|Pickford|1997|p=75}} Also, cheaper [[pewter]] sets were made for the less affluent, mostly as simplified copies of the silver pieces.{{sfn|Ukers|1935|p=438}}

=== America ===
In colonial America, [[Boston]] became the epicenter for silver production and artistry. Among the many artists in Boston, there were four major families in the city's silver market: Edwards, Revere, Burt, and Hurd. Their works of art included silver teapots.<ref name=BMA>{{cite book|last=Birmingham Museum of Art|author-link=Birmingham Museum of Art|title=Birmingham Museum of Art: guide to the collection|year=2010|publisher=Birmingham Museum of Art|location=[Birmingham, Ala]|isbn=978-1-904832-77-5|page=107|url=http://artsbma.org}}</ref> Two new "colonial" shapes appeared in the late [[Georgian era]]: oval and octagonal teapots with flat bases, plain handles in the shape of C, and, frequently, straight tapering spouts.{{sfn|Ukers|1935|p=438}}