A teapot is a vessel used for
steeping
Steeping is the soaking of an organic solid, such as leaves, in a liquid (usually water) to extract flavours or to soften it. The specific process of teas being prepared for drinking by leaving the leaves in heated water to release the flavour a ...
tea leaves
Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves of ''Camellia sinensis'', an evergreen shrub native to East Asia which probably originated in the borderlands of southwestern China and norther ...
or a
herbal mix in boiling or near-boiling
water
Water (chemical formula ) is an inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living organisms (in which it acts as a ...
, and for serving the resulting
infusion
Infusion is the process of extracting chemical compounds or flavors from plant material in a solvent such as water, oil or alcohol, by allowing the material to remain suspended in the solvent over time (a process often called steeping). An inf ...
which is called
tea
Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves of '' Camellia sinensis'', an evergreen shrub native to East Asia which probably originated in the borderlands of southwestern China and northe ...
. It is one of the core components of
teaware
Teaware is a broad international spectrum of equipment used in the brewing and consumption of tea. Many components make up that spectrum, and vary greatly based upon the type of tea being prepared, and the cultural setting in which it is being ...
. Dry tea is available either in
tea bag
A tea bag, or the compound teabag, is a small, porous, sealed bag or packet, typically containing tea leaves or the leaves of other herbs, which is immersed in water to steep and make an infusion. Originally used only for tea ('' Camellia si ...
s or as
loose tea
Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves of ''Camellia sinensis'', an evergreen shrub native to East Asia which probably originated in the borderlands of southwestern China and norther ...
, in which case a
tea infuser
A tea infuser is a device in which loose, dried tea leaves are placed for steeping or brewing, in a mug or a teapot full of hot water; it is often called a teaball or tea maker, and sometimes a tea egg. The tea infuser gained popularity in the f ...
or
tea strainer
A tea strainer is a type of strainer that is placed over or in a teacup to catch loose tea leaves.
When tea is brewed in the traditional manner in a teapot, the tea leaves are not contained in teabags; rather, they are freely suspended in the ...
may be of some assistance, either to hold the leaves as they steep or to catch the leaves inside the teapot when the tea is poured. Teapots usually have an opening with a lid at their top, where the dry tea and hot water are added, a handle for holding by hand and a spout through which the tea is served. Some teapots have a strainer built-in on the inner edge of the spout. A small air hole in the lid is often created to stop the spout from dripping and splashing when tea is poured. In modern times, a
thermally insulating cover called a
tea cosy
A tea cosy or tea warmer is a cover for a teapot,Article of the'' Boston Journal'', 25 November 1879 traditionally made of cloth. It insulates a teapot, keeping the contents warm. Their use predates the invention of vacuum flasks as a means of ...
may be used to enhance the steeping process or to prevent the contents of the teapot from cooling too rapidly.
History
China
![Glass tea kettle, Kashgar](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/69/Glass_tea_kettle%2C_Kashgar.jpg)
The switch to specialized vessel for tea brewing was powered by the change from the
powdered tea to
leaf tea
Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves of ''Camellia sinensis'', an evergreen shrub native to East Asia which probably originated in the borderlands of southwestern China and norther ...
and from whipping to steeping that occurred in China. It is hard to exactly pinpoint the time of the invention of a teapot, since vessels in the shapes similar to the modern teapot were known in China since
Neolithic period
The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several parts ...
, 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
The Yuan dynasty (), officially the Great Yuan (; xng, , , literally "Great Yuan State"), was a Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China and a successor state to the Mongol Empire after its division. It was established by Kublai, the fifth ...
), at first an
ewer
In American English, a pitcher is a container with a spout used for storing and pouring liquids. In English-speaking countries outside North America, a jug is any container with a handle and a mouth and spout for liquid – American "pitchers" wil ...
-like vessel were used for this purpose. Tea preparation during previous dynasties did not use a teapot. In the
Tang Dynasty
The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an Zhou dynasty (690–705), interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dyn ...
, a cauldron was used to boil ground tea, which was served in bowls.
Song Dynasty
The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the rest ...
tea was made by boiling water in a kettle 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
The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System
The Solar SystemCapitalization of the name varies. The International Astronomical Union, the authoritative body regarding astronomical nomenclature, specifies capitalizing the names ...
. By the
Ming Dynasty
The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...
, teapots were widespread in China. There are early examples of teapots, like the ones made in
Jun ware
Jun ware () is a type of Chinese pottery, one of the Five Great Kilns of Song dynasty ceramics. Despite its fame, much about Jun ware remains unclear, and the subject of arguments among experts. Several different types of pottery are covered by ...
and the eight-lobed
celadon
''Celadon'' () is a term for pottery denoting both wares glazed in the jade green celadon color, also known as greenware or "green ware" (the term specialists now tend to use), and a type of transparent glaze, often with small cracks, that was ...
pots of the Song-Yuan times, but an expert on
Yixing ware
Yixing clay () is a type of clay from the region near the city of Yixing in Jiangsu Province, China, used in Chinese pottery since the Song dynasty (960–1279) when Yixing clay was first mined around China's Lake Tai. From the 17th century on, ...
,
Kuei-Hsiang Lo, believes that the first teapots made especially for tea appeared around 1500 as copies of much earlier Yixing wine pots. The earliest example of such teapot that has survived to this day seems to be the one in the
Flagstaff House Museum of Teaware
Flagstaff House, built in 1846, is the oldest example of Western-style architecture remaining in Hong Kong.Antiquities and Monuments OfficeDeclared Monuments in Hong Kong: Flagstaff House It is located at 10 Cotton Tree Drive, Central – w ...
; it has been dated to 1513 and is attributed to Gong Chun, the "father of Yixing teapot".
Early teapots, like those still used in modern
Gongfu tea ceremony
The gongfu tea ceremony or kung fu tea ceremony ( or ), is a type of Chinese tea ceremony, involving the ritual preparation and presentation of tea. It is probably based on the tea preparation approaches originated in Fujian and the Chaoshan area ...
, are small by western standards meant for the individual consumption of tea. They use a higher ratio of leaves to water, which enables the brewer to control the variables of brewing to create several small infusions. After brewing, tea would then be decanted into a separate vessel, and distributed into the small cups of several drinkers, and brewed again. This allows the tea to be skillfully brewed, and for the flavor changes to be experienced through the various infusions.
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.
Many traditional Chinese teaware is
yixing ware
Yixing clay () is a type of clay from the region near the city of Yixing in Jiangsu Province, China, used in Chinese pottery since the Song dynasty (960–1279) when Yixing clay was first mined around China's Lake Tai. From the 17th century on, ...
. 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 flavor of the tea going forward. Some Gongfu practitioners designate their unglazed pots for specific types, sometimes even specific varietals of tea.
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
Porcelain () is a ceramic material made by heating substances, generally including materials such as kaolinite, in a kiln to temperatures between . The strength and translucence of porcelain, relative to other types of pottery, arises mainl ...
teapots.
The majority of these teapots were painted in
blue and white underglaze
Underglaze is a method of decorating pottery in which painted decoration is applied to the surface before it is covered with a transparent ceramic glaze and fired in a kiln. Because the glaze subsequently covers it, such decoration is completely ...
.
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.
Japan
![Japansk silvertekanna med dito sil](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/14/Japansk_silvertekanna_med_dito_sil.jpg)
Yixing teapots became very popular in Japan, with the
Banko ware
is a type of Japanese pottery (Stoneware) traditionally from Yokkaichi, Mie. It is therefore also known as Yokkaichi-Banko ware.
It is believed to have originated in the 18th century.
Most products are teacups, teapots, flower vases, and ''sake ...
in particular being a close copy of the Chinese originals. The most significant improvements were the refinements of the shape and the extensive use of the "overhead" handle that makes carrying of the teapot easier.
Tibet
![Novice monk with teapot](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/af/Novice_monk_with_teapot._Tashilhunpo%2C_Tibet.jpg)
Teapots for
butter tea
Butter tea, also known as ''po cha'' (, "Tibetan tea"), ''cha süma'' (, "churned tea"), Mandarin Chinese: ''sūyóu chá'' ( 酥 油 茶) or ''gur gur cha'' in the Ladakhi language, is a drink of the people in the Himalayan regions of Nepal, Bhut ...
in
Tibet
Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa people, ...
were evolving simultaneously with teapots of China, eventually settling on a pitcher-like shape.
Europe
The Yixing teapots came to Europe with the tea and became known as ''boccarro'' ("large mouth" in Portuguese). The Chinese teapot models were used, since the preservation of the Chinese way of drinking was considered to be essential. Porcelain teapots were particularly desirable because porcelain could not be made in Europe at that time, 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
The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.27 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and nam ...
, dated 1670. At the same time, the production of the copies of the Chinese
earthenware
Earthenware is glazed or unglazed nonvitreous pottery that has normally been fired below . Basic earthenware, often called terracotta, absorbs liquids such as water. However, earthenware can be made impervious to liquids by coating it with a ce ...
teapots started (Fulham Pottery in London was manufacturing these already in 1670). It wasn't until 1708 that the first successful experiments by
von Tschirnhaus enabled
Böttger, and the
Meissen factory in
Dresden
Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label=Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth larg ...
started the operation in 1710 and produced good copies of Japanese
Kakiemon
is a style of Japanese porcelain, with overglaze decoration called "enameled" ceramics. It was originally produced at the factories around Arita, in Japan's Hizen province (today, Saga Prefecture) from the Edo period's mid-17th century onwards. ...
and
Imari
is a city located in Saga Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, Japan. Imari is most notable because of Imari porcelain, which is the European collectors' name for Japanese porcelain wares made in the town of Arita, Saga Prefecture. The porcelain w ...
porcelain.
When European potteries in Holland, Germany, and England began to make their own tea wares they at first imitated the Chinese ''bocarro'' designs. Many English potteries, however, decided not to risk money on the new material, and continued the manufacturing of earthenware and stoneware pots; the famed
creamware
Creamware is a cream-coloured refined earthenware with a lead glaze over a pale body, known in France as '' faïence fine'', in the Netherlands as ''Engels porselein'', and in Italy as ''terraglia inglese''.Osborne, 140 It was created about 175 ...
services made in Staffordshire reached popularity in the second half of the 18th century.
![Shapes of 18th century European teapots](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/69/Shapes_of_18th_century_European_teapots.png)
At the turn of 18th century, design and decoration of the European teapot started to deviate from the Chinese tradition, with the pear shape, or being the first major novation. An early English pyriform teapot dates back to 1690, the shape became widespread at the time of
Queen Anne and remains 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
The Louis XV style or ''Louis Quinze'' (, ) is a style of architecture and decorative arts which appeared during the reign of Louis XV. From 1710 until about 1730, a period known as the Régence, it was largely an extension of the Louis XIV style ...
), with the latter being a rare comeback to the wine-pot origins of a teapot.
![English_teaware](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/32/English_teaware.jpg)
In the last half of the 18th century, English factories introduced the matched sets of teaware. The original demand for "China" porcelain
tea set
Pink Floyd are an English rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experimentation, philosophical lyrics and ...
s was eventually replaced, at least among the wealthy, with enthusiasm for silver pieces that were extensively produced by the end of the reign of
George III
George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...
. For the less affluent,
pewter
Pewter () is a malleable metal alloy consisting of tin (85–99%), antimony (approximately 5–10%), copper (2%), bismuth, and sometimes silver. Copper and antimony (and in antiquity lead) act as hardeners, but lead may be used in lower grades of ...
sets were made, mostly as simplified copies of the silver pieces.
America
In colonial America,
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
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.
Two new "Colonial" shapes appeared in the late
Georgian period
The Georgian era was a period in British history from 1714 to , named after the Hanoverian Kings George I, George II, George III and George IV. The definition of the Georgian era is often extended to include the relatively short reign of Willi ...
: oval and octagonal teapots with flat bases, plain handles in the shape of C, and, frequently, straight tapering spouts.
Heat retention
Ability of a teapot to keep heat depends on the material, for example,
stoneware
Stoneware is a rather broad term for pottery or other ceramics fired at a relatively high temperature. A modern technical definition is a Vitrification#Ceramics, vitreous or semi-vitreous ceramic made primarily from stoneware clay or non-refracto ...
is supposed to keep the heat better than porcelain.
To keep teapots hot after tea is first brewed, English households since 18th century employed the
tea cosy
A tea cosy or tea warmer is a cover for a teapot,Article of the'' Boston Journal'', 25 November 1879 traditionally made of cloth. It insulates a teapot, keeping the contents warm. Their use predates the invention of vacuum flasks as a means of ...
, a padded fabric covering, much like a hat, that slips over the tea pot. The tea cosy got very popular in the 20th century as a practical and decorative object in the kitchen.
Features
Teapots evolved from the designs where the lid was resting in a recess of the body of the vessel to the lid sitting on top of the body, and then to the modern design with the deep flanges of the lid preventing it from falling out.
When the tea is being poured out, outside air needs to enter the body of the teapot; therefore design involves either a loosely fitting lid or a vent hole at the top of the pot, usually in the lid.
The built-in
strainer
A sieve, fine mesh strainer, or sift, is a device for separating wanted elements from unwanted material or for controlling the particle size distribution of a sample, using a screen such as a woven mesh or net or perforated sheet material. T ...
at the base of the spout got borrowed from
coffeepot
A coffeemaker, coffee maker or coffee machine is a cooking appliance used to brew coffee. While there are many different types of coffeemakers the two most common brewing principles use gravity or pressure to move hot water through coffee gr ...
s that in turn get this feature from the vessels designed for other liquids (the earliest known bult-in strainer dates back to 1300
BC).
The coffee
drip brew
Brewed coffee is made by pouring hot water onto ground coffee beans, then allowing to brew. There are several methods for doing this, including using a filter, a percolator, and a French press. Terms used for the resulting coffee often reflect t ...
and
coffee percolator
A coffee percolator is a type of pot used for the brewing of coffee by continually cycling the boiling or nearly boiling brew through the grounds using gravity until the required strength is reached.
Coffee percolators once enjoyed great popul ...
were invented in the beginning of the 19th century, similar designs for tea were developed soon after that.
Modern
infuser
A tea infuser is a device in which loose, dried tea leaves are placed for steeping or brewing, in a mug or a teapot full of hot water; it is often called a teaball or tea maker, and sometimes a tea egg. The tea infuser gained popularity in the f ...
s originated in 1817, when an English patent was granted for a "tea or coffee biggin", a metal basket that sat at the bottom of the teapot. Many more tea leaf holder designs had followed, with
tea ball
A tea infuser is a device in which loose, dried tea leaves are placed for steeping or brewing, in a mug or a teapot full of hot water; it is often called a teaball or tea maker, and sometimes a tea egg. The tea infuser gained popularity in the f ...
and tea-making spoon arriving in the first half of the 19th century.
The first automated electric teapot was invented in 1909.
Materials
The typical materials used for teapots have been
stoneware
Stoneware is a rather broad term for pottery or other ceramics fired at a relatively high temperature. A modern technical definition is a Vitrification#Ceramics, vitreous or semi-vitreous ceramic made primarily from stoneware clay or non-refracto ...
(Yixing),
porcelain
Porcelain () is a ceramic material made by heating substances, generally including materials such as kaolinite, in a kiln to temperatures between . The strength and translucence of porcelain, relative to other types of pottery, arises mainl ...
, silver and gold.
Teapots made of
tin
Tin is a chemical element with the symbol Sn (from la, stannum) and atomic number 50. Tin is a silvery-coloured metal.
Tin is soft enough to be cut with little force and a bar of tin can be bent by hand with little effort. When bent, t ...
arrived around 1700, allowing for a very low-cost designs. At the same time the use of
britanniaware had started.
Nickel plating was introduced in the second half of the 19th century. Teapots from
earthenware
Earthenware is glazed or unglazed nonvitreous pottery that has normally been fired below . Basic earthenware, often called terracotta, absorbs liquids such as water. However, earthenware can be made impervious to liquids by coating it with a ce ...
were produced in
Staffordshire
Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation Staffs.) is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. It borders Cheshire to the northwest, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, Warwickshire to the southeast, the West Midlands Cou ...
from 1720 to 1780, with curious shapes (animals, houses, etc.) made possible by using molds (and not the
throwing wheel).
Enamelware
Vitreous enamel, also called porcelain enamel, is a material made by fusing powdered glass to a substrate by firing, usually between . The powder melts, flows, and then hardens to a smooth, durable vitreous coating. The word comes from the Lati ...
was in wide use at the end of the 19th century.
In the 20th century, use of
aluminum
Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. It has ...
became popular. Arrival of the
heatproof glass made a glass teapot possible, with the first "Teaket" design manufactured in 1932.
Dribbling
One phenomenon that occurs with some teapots is that of dribbling where the flow runs down the outside of the spout particularly as the flow starts or stops. Different explanations for this phenomenon have been proposed at various times. Making the external surface of the spout more hydrophobic, and reducing the radius of curvature of the inside of the tip so that the flow detaches cleanly can avoid dribbling.
The Moroccan teapot
![Moroccan Teapots](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/93/Moroccan_Teapots.jpg)
In Morocco, stainless steel teapots are an essential to make
Moroccan mint tea
Maghrebi mint tea (Maghrebi Arabic: , ''atay''; ar, الشاي بالنعناع, aš-šhāy bin-na'nā'; ), also known as Moroccan mint tea and Algerian mint tea, is a North African green tea prepared with spearmint leaves and sugar.
It is tr ...
. Moroccan teapots are heat resistant and can be put directly on the stove. With colorful tea glasses, they are part of the Moroccan tea ritual. The tea is considered to be drinkable only when it has foam on top. Teapots have a long curved spout in order to pour tea from a height of 12 inches above the glasses, which produces foam on the surface of the tea. Their designs can go from minimalistic to heavily decorated.
Chocolate teapot
A chocolate teapot is a teapot that would be made from
chocolate
Chocolate is a food made from roasted and ground cacao seed kernels that is available as a liquid, solid, or paste, either on its own or as a flavoring agent in other foods. Cacao has been consumed in some form since at least the Olmec civ ...
. It is commonly supposed that such a teapot would melt, and be impossible to use, therefore the term is often used as an
analogy
Analogy (from Greek ''analogia'', "proportion", from ''ana-'' "upon, according to" lso "against", "anew"+ ''logos'' "ratio" lso "word, speech, reckoning" is a cognitive process of transferring information or meaning from a particular subject ( ...
for any useless item.
Experimental researchers in 2001 did indeed fail to successfully use a chocolate teapot they had made. Later research, however, by
The Naked Scientists
''The Naked Scientists'' is a one-hour audience-interactive science radio talk show broadcast live by the BBC in the East of England, nationally by BBC Radio 5 Live and internationally on ABC Radio National, Australia; it is also distributed g ...
in 2008, showed that such a teapot could be used to make tea, provided that the walls of the teapot were more than one
centimetre
330px, Different lengths as in respect to the Electromagnetic spectrum, measured by the Metre and its deriveds scales. The Microwave are in-between 1 meter to 1 millimeter.
A centimetre (international spelling) or centimeter (American spellin ...
thick. Re-usable (for a limited number of times) pots are now easily available online.
In non-teamaking contexts
![Household-kyusu-feb5-2015](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/39/Household-kyusu-feb5-2015.jpg)
A teapot has a rather distinctive shape, and its fame may sometimes have little to do with its primary function.
*The
Utah Teapot
The Utah teapot, or the Newell teapot, is a 3D test model that has become a standard reference object and an in-joke within the computer graphics community. It is a mathematical model of an ordinary Melitta-brand teapot that appears solid ...
is a standard reference object of the
computer graphics
Computer graphics deals with generating images with the aid of computers. Today, computer graphics is a core technology in digital photography, film, video games, cell phone and computer displays, and many specialized applications. A great de ...
community, comparable to
Hello, World for its popularity. It is included as a graphics primitive in many graphics packages, including
AutoCAD
AutoCAD is a commercial computer-aided design (CAD) and drafting software application. Developed and marketed by Autodesk, AutoCAD was first released in December 1982 as a desktop app running on microcomputers with internal graphics controllers. ...
,
POV-Ray
The Persistence of Vision Ray Tracer, most commonly acronymed as POV-Ray, is a cross-platform ray-tracing program that generates images from a text-based scene description. It was originally based on DKBTrace, written by David Kirk Buck and Aaro ...
,
OpenGL
OpenGL (Open Graphics Library) is a cross-language, cross-platform application programming interface (API) for rendering 2D and 3D vector graphics. The API is typically used to interact with a graphics processing unit (GPU), to achieve hardwa ...
,
Direct3D
Direct3D is a graphics application programming interface (API) for Microsoft Windows. Part of DirectX, Direct3D is used to render three-dimensional graphics in applications where performance is important, such as games. Direct3D uses hardware a ...
, and
3ds Max
Autodesk 3ds Max, formerly 3D Studio and 3D Studio Max, is a professional 3D computer graphics program for making 3D animations, models, games and images. It is developed and produced by Autodesk Media and Entertainment. It has modeling capabil ...
.
*
Russell's teapot
Russell's teapot is an analogy, formulated by the philosopher Bertrand Russell (1872–1970), to illustrate that the philosophic burden of proof lies upon a person making empirically unfalsifiable claims, rather than shifting the burden of ' ...
, is an analogy, devised by
Bertrand Russell
Bertrand Arthur William Russell, 3rd Earl Russell, (18 May 1872 – 2 February 1970) was a British mathematician, philosopher, logician, and public intellectual. He had a considerable influence on mathematics, logic, set theory, linguistics, ...
, which attacks the unfalsifiability of religious claims, comparing them to the eponymous teapot. The concept in turn inspired the title of the 1973 album ''
Flying Teapot'' by the Franco-British rock band
Gong
A gongFrom Indonesian and ms, gong; jv, ꦒꦺꦴꦁ ; zh, c=鑼, p=luó; ja, , dora; km, គង ; th, ฆ้อง ; vi, cồng chiêng; as, কাঁহ is a percussion instrument originating in East Asia and Southeast Asia. Gongs ...
.
*The teapot has been featured in the American children's song from 1939, "
I'm a Little Teapot
"I'm a Little Teapot" is an American novelty song describing the heating and pouring of a teapot or a whistling tea kettle. The song was originally written by George Harold Sanders and Clarence Z. Kelley and published in 1939. By 1941, a ''Newswe ...
".
*In Korea, the teapot is commonly used as a serving container for various types of wines.
*Part of the
constellation of Sagittarius contains an
asterism (or a star pattern not officially recognized as a constellation) that famously resembles a teapot.
*The 'Teapot Game' is a word game described by Mary White's ''Book of Games'', and involves guessing a word which is replaced by "teapot" in various sentences.
*''
The Teapot'' is a tale by
Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen ( , ; 2 April 1805 – 4 August 1875) was a Danish author. Although a prolific writer of plays, travelogues, novels, and poems, he is best remembered for his literary fairy tales.
Andersen's fairy tales, consisti ...
.
In architecture
* In 2004, a
Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
n
cult
In modern English, ''cult'' is usually a pejorative term for a social group that is defined by its unusual religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs and rituals, or its common interest in a particular personality, object, or goal. This ...
called the
Sky Kingdom
, image = Ariffin Mohammed.png
, imagewidth = 250px
, alt =
, caption = An image of the Sky Kingdom compound showing the large teapot and the vase prior to its demolition, with Ayah Pin in ...
constructed a 35 foot tall, cream colored teapot, with an unusually long spout, higher than the pot itself on its property as part of its own private symbolism which included a similarly large blue vase next to the teapot. As part of a crackdown on the sect in August 2005 bulldozers and heavy machinery were sent in to tear down the structure.
* The (purported) world's largest architectural teapot is to be found in
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...
. In 1938 The
Chester teapot was constructed by William "Babe" Devon. The Teapot started its life as a gigantic wooden
hogshead
A hogshead (abbreviated "hhd", plural "hhds") is a large cask of liquid (or, less often, of a food commodity). More specifically, it refers to a specified volume, measured in either imperial or US customary measures, primarily applied to alcoho ...
barrel for a
Hires Root Beer
Hires Root Beer is a root beer marketed by Keurig Dr Pepper. Introduced in 1876, it is one of the longest continuously made soft drinks in the United States.
History
Hires Root Beer was created by Philadelphia, Pennsylvania pharmacist Charle ...
advertising campaign. Devon purchased the barrel in Pennsylvania and had it shipped to Chester, WV where it was set up at the junction of State Route 2 and U.S. Route 30. A spout and handle were added at this time and the wooden barrel was covered with tin to form the teapot's shape. A large glass ball was placed on top to make the knob of the "lid". The Teapot stood in front of Devon's pottery outlet store. Local teenagers were hired to run a concession and souvenir stand which was set up inside the Teapot.
* The
Teapot Dome Service Station
The Teapot Dome Service Station is a former Filling station, gas station built in the shape of a teapot located in Zillah, Washington, Zillah, Washington (state), Washington, United States, that is listed on the National Register of Historic Place ...
is located in Zillah, Washington. It was built in 1922, and the 15-foot handled-and-spouted gas station was designed as a
visual pun
A visual pun is a pun involving an image or images (in addition to or instead of language), often based on a rebus.
Visual puns in which the image is at odds with the inscription are common in cartoons such as '' Lost Consonants'' or ''The Far ...
referencing the then-current
Teapot Dome scandal
The Teapot Dome scandal was a bribery scandal involving the administration of United States President Warren G. Harding from 1921 to 1923. Secretary of the Interior Albert Bacon Fall had leased Navy petroleum reserves at Teapot Dome in Wyomin ...
. It has been moved multiple times and is no longer an active gas station.
See also
*
Brown Betty, a type of British teapot made from a red clay, known for being rotund and glazed with brown manganese
*
Briq
A Briq, Ibrik or Brik ( ar, برق) is an ancient teapot and pitcher traditionally used by the inhabitants of Lebanon and Syria to prepare and drink tea or water. It is a pot and handle with an unconventional spout that allows liquid to be consumed ...
, a teapot and pitcher traditionally used by Lebanese and Syrian Arabs
*
Cube teapot, a ruggedized teapot invented for use on ships
*
ISO 3103
ISO 3103 is a standard published by the International Organization for Standardization (commonly referred to as ISO), specifying a standardized method for brewing tea, possibly sampled by the standardized methods described in ISO 1839. It was orig ...
, a description of a standardised method of brewing tea from the
International Organization for Standardization
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO ) is an international standard development organization composed of representatives from the national standards organizations of member countries. Membership requirements are given in Ar ...
*
I'm a Little Teapot
"I'm a Little Teapot" is an American novelty song describing the heating and pouring of a teapot or a whistling tea kettle. The song was originally written by George Harold Sanders and Clarence Z. Kelley and published in 1939. By 1941, a ''Newswe ...
, a children's song
*
I'm a teapot, HTTP error 418
*
Kettle
A kettle, sometimes called a tea kettle or teakettle, is a type of pot specialized for boiling water, commonly with a ''lid'', ''spout'', and ''handle'', or a small electric kitchen appliance of similar shape that functions in a self-contained ...
, types of vessels specialized for boiling and pouring plain water, often metal, also with a spout, sometimes electric
*
Kyūsu
A is a traditional Japanese teapot mainly used for brewing green tea.
The common misconception is that a ''kyūsu'' always has a side handle. However, the word "kyūsu" merely means "teapot", even though in common usage ''kyūsu'' usually does ...
, a Japanese ceramic teapot, often with a side handle
*
Operation Teapot
Operation Teapot was a series of 14 nuclear test explosions conducted at the Nevada Test Site in the first half of 1955. It was preceded by ''Operation Castle'', and followed by ''Operation Wigwam''. ''Wigwam'' was, administratively, a part of ...
, a series of fourteen
nuclear test
Nuclear weapons tests are experiments carried out to determine nuclear weapons' effectiveness, yield, and explosive capability. Testing nuclear weapons offers practical information about how the weapons function, how detonations are affected by ...
explosions conducted at the
Nevada Test Site
The Nevada National Security Site (N2S2 or NNSS), known as the Nevada Test Site (NTS) until 2010, is a United States Department of Energy (DOE) reservation located in southeastern Nye County, Nevada, about 65 miles (105 km) northwest of th ...
in the first half of 1955
*
Pot-holder
A pot-holder is a piece of textile (often quilted) or silicone used to cover the hand when holding hot kitchen cooking equipment, like pots and pans. They are frequently made of polyester and/or cotton. Crocheted pot-holders can be made out of co ...
*
Samovar
A samovar (russian: самовар, , literally "self-brewer") is a metal container traditionally used to heat and boil water. Although originating in Russia, the samovar is well known outside of Russia and has spread through Russian culture t ...
, a heated metal container traditionally used to boil water for tea in and around Russia, as well as in other Slavic nations, Iran and Turkey
*
Slop bowl
In Europe, a slop bowl, slop basin or waste bowl is one of the components of a traditional tea set. It was used to empty the cold tea and dregs in tea cups before refilling with hot tea, as there were often tea leaves in the bottom of the cups.
...
part of a tea set - a bowl to empty tea cups of cooled tea and dregs before refilling with fresh tea
*
Sparta Teapot Museum
The Sparta Teapot Museum of Craft and Design was a museum in Sparta, North Carolina, United States. It closed in January 2010.
The museum drew mainly from the teapot collection of Gloria and Sonny Kamm. The Kamm Collection, comprising more than ...
, formerly in Sparta, North Carolina, USA
*
Teacup
A teacup is a cup for drinking tea. It may be with a handle (grip), handle, generally a small one that may be grasped with the thumb and one or two fingers. It is typically made of a ceramic material. It is usually part of a set, composed of a ...
, a small cup with or without a handle, from which to drink tea
*
Tealight
A tealight (also tea-light, tea light, tea candle, or informally tea lite, t-lite or t-candle) is a candle in a thin metal or plastic cup so that the candle can liquefy completely while lit. They are typically small, circular, usually wider than ...
, a small candle originally used to keep a teapot warm
*
Tea set
Pink Floyd are an English rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experimentation, philosophical lyrics and ...
, a usually matching set of dishes including a teapot, small pitcher for milk and sugar bowl, for serving tea in a formal manner
*
*
Teapot Rock
Teapot Rock, also known as Teapot Dome, is a distinctive sedimentary rock formation in Natrona County, Wyoming that lent its name to a nearby oil field that became notorious as the focus of the Teapot Dome scandal, a bribery scandal during the pres ...
, a rock formation in Wyoming
*
Tetsubin
''Tetsubin'' (鉄瓶) are Japanese cast-iron kettles with a pouring spout, a lid, and a handle crossing over the top, used for boiling and pouring hot water for drinking purposes, such as for making tea.
''Tetsubin'' are traditionally heated o ...
, Japanese cast iron pot with a spout
*
Utah teapot
The Utah teapot, or the Newell teapot, is a 3D test model that has become a standard reference object and an in-joke within the computer graphics community. It is a mathematical model of an ordinary Melitta-brand teapot that appears solid ...
, a 3D model of a teapot frequently used as a reference object in computer graphics
*
Yixing clay teapot
Yixing clay teapots (), also called Zisha teapot (), are made from Yixing clay. This traditional style commonly used to brew tea originated in China, dating back to the 15th century, and are made from clay produced near Yixing in the eastern ...
, a special Chinese clay teapot
*
The pot calling the kettle black
"The pot calling the kettle black" is a proverbial idiom that may be of Spanish origin, of which English versions began to appear in the first half of the 17th century. It means a situation in which somebody accuses someone else of a fault which ...
, idiom
References
Sources
*
*
*
*
*
Further reading
*Steve Woodhead, "The Teapot Book" A.&C. Black, 2005 .
*Robin Emmerson, "British Teapots and Tea Drinking" HMSO, 1992
*Garth Clark "The Artful Teapot" Thames and Hudson
*Edward Bramah "Novelty Teapots" Quiller Press
External links
*
A brief history of teapots from Stoke-on-Trent MuseumsEnglish Teapots – Their Origin and VarietyTeapots at the British MuseumTeapots at the Metropolitan Museum of ArtTeapots at the University of Michigan Museum of ArtTeapots at the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design MuseumThe Utah Teapot at the Computer History Museum
{{Authority control
Chinese inventions
Liquid containers
Pottery shapes
Yuan dynasty