Small teapots made using all types of ceramics are well suited to brewing tea since they are easy to maintain and excellent for heat retention. Since porcelain is the hardest and thinnest ceramic type and offers more design flexibility it is generally preferred for more refined and elegant teapots. Chinese and other Asian cultures have traditionally preferred small teapots which westerners refer to as “personal size teapots,” normally holding 2 cups of liquid. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, workers carried smaller “personal tea pots” to prepare tea throughout the day. Since tea was expensive, they brewed the same whole tea leaves several times storing them in their pots and simply adding hot water for tea breaks. Steeping in smaller pots had many advantages: it assured the tea was hot when poured, allowed maximum use of every leaf, limited bitterness and made brewing more precise since the water was infused with flavor faster and could be drained from the leaves all at once. Small volumes of water also provided more temperature control and allowed the tea to cool quickly for drinking. Drinking tea was and continues to be a very social and calming activity, and small pots encourage fellow imbibers to stay and continue conversation through many short infusions. In China and Japan small porcelain cat-shaped teapots have been very fashionable since the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
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Hand thrown and -painted Meiji single serving Kyo Ware teapot with luminescent crackled glaze and kiln seal. A chrysanthemum in a basket symbolizes longevity and rejuvenation. Kyo ware is limited, making it collected worldwide.
Small teapot with intricate cobalt blue chrysanthemum and bindweed designs widely used in late 19th century in domestic and export wares. Ball handle on lid.
Small antique Yixing teapot with small loops below rim indicating may have been used to suspend oil or soy sauce. Hand painted vibrant enamels with circular panels of floral and leaf decorations.
Antique Yixing teapot, colored enamels, 6 circular panels with fanciful floral and leaf decorations. Tea aficionados consider Yixing teapots best for brewing tea as absorb oils released during brewing and improves tea’s flavor with continual use.
The Chinese characters within a circled seal in the mold on the bottom indicate this teapot is an antique. As the thin ribbon blue collar as wishes for long life, it is a perfect birthday gift. Recommended for decorative use only.
Antique porcelain cat teapot, removable head, tail handle, and spout paw. Hand painted design defines features with ribbon-like gold collar and dangling ornamental bow symbolizing long life. Great gift, recommended for decorative use only.
This charming vintage porcelain cat teapot with raised paw for pouring tea, removable head and a sinuous tail handle is whimsical and colorful with a red ribbon collar, green bow and green, black and red accents defining the expressive face, ears, head and paws, all beautifully hand-painted. Manufactures seal on bottom.
This charming vintage porcelain cat teapot with raised paw for pouring tea, removable head and a sinuous tail handle is whimsical and colorful with a red ribbon collar, green bow and green, black and red accents defining the expressive face, ears, head and paws, all beautifully hand-painted.
This porcelain teapot is a rotund cat figurine comically sitting on a mouse. It has a raised paw spout, a removable head and a long sinuous tail handle. The whimsical and colorful design with long ribbon and blue collar with a dangling blue bow and the black, pink, and brown accents that define the face, ears, head, paws and body and all are hand painted.
This charming white porcelain cat teapot with a raised paw has a removable head, a sinuous tail handle, a paw spout and a removable head . Beautifully hand-painted whimsical and colorful designs include a thin ribbon-like blue collar, an impressive dangling ornamental bow, and the black accents that define the face, ears, head and paws.
This charming porcelain a cat teapot with a raised paw has a removable head to pour liquid into the vessel and a long sinuous tail handle for pouring liquid from the opening at the end of the paw. The design is whimsical and colorful with a thin green ribbon collar and an impressive dangling ornamental bow with black accents defining the face, ears and head.
The beautifully hand-painted design is whimsical and colorful with a thick dark red collar ribbon, a matching ornamental bow, and a ball under its left paw. Black, orange, red and blue accents define the cat’s face, ears, head, paws and the ball. double stamped seal on the bottom,
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