500 Teapots

"The teapot is to the potter what the canvas is to the painter. Since the ancient Chinese first developed vessels for brewing and serving tea, the teapot has inspired clay artists to create their own renditions. 500 Teapots: Contemporary Explorations of a Timeless Design presents a remarkable visual tour of how potters from around the world are interpreting this classic form. These many figurative, sculptural, and, yes, traditional teapots astound us with their myriad shapes and delightful combinations of utility and decorative treatment. John Neely's classic "Octagonal Brown Teapot with Braided Cane Handle" reconnects contemporary teapot design to its honored Oriental origins, as do cutting-edge sculptural designs like Richard Swanson's "Proud Catch II" and Bonnie Seeman's exquisite, organically inspired creations. More than most ceramic vessels, the teapot can even suggest aspects of the human form. Karen Marie Portaleo's "Nurse (Fetish Series 1) " amuses us yet challenges our assumptions about what a teapot is. And altered, functional pots, made by such artists as Nick Joerling and Susan Filley, allude to the human body, while bringing vibrant energy to the traditional teapot form. Adrian Arleo's "Leaning Brown Figure with Blue Spots" declares that her teapots can become both stage and player: "My teapots are small-scale narrative dramas... the openendedness of the narrative causes one to wonder, and invites interpretation." In its breadth and richness of subject, this book is an essential reference for collectors and ceramists alike. The featured work explores new relationships between body, spout, handle, and lid, and occasionally causes us to ask, Is that really a teapot?" --