Purple clay Tea wares have, over the past few hundred years, seen some pieces passed down and innovated through generations, becoming world-renowned classics. The “Duet Pot” is one of the most typical examples.

In the Celebrity Works Exhibition Hall of the Yixing Ceramic Museum, there are three “Duet Pots” on display: “Daheng Duet,” “You Ting Duet,” and “Shouzhen Duet.” These three differently styled “Duet Pots” were crafted by three famous artisans in the history of purple clay, representing three different periods and styles.

“Daheng Duet” made by Qing Dynasty's Shao Daheng

“Daheng Duet” was created by Shao Daheng from Shangyuan Village (now Dingzu Purple Clay Village) during the Jia Dao period of the Qing Dynasty. The work is dignified and full of vitality. Daheng was a proud man who was not afraid of power and did not cater to vulgarity.

There is a legend about him: Daheng Teapots were hard to come by even for a thousand gold coins. A maid was to be beaten to death for breaking a Teapot that a noble loved. To save the maid, Daheng brought a basket with more than ten Daheng teapots and presented them to the noble without asking for payment, saving the girl before leaving. “Daheng Duet” is like its creator, clear and upright, bold and upright.

“You Ting Duet” signed by Shao You Ting

“You Ting Duet” was made by Shao You Ting, a skilled potter from Shangyuan Village during the Tongzhi and Guangxu periods of the Qing Dynasty. “You Ting Duet” inherited the grand and solemn characteristics of the “Daheng Duet” but boldly recreated it, elevating the connection between the body and lid into a neck, slightly curving the spout, making the impetus stand out even more. The mouth was designed larger, the lid raised into a half-spherical shape, the knob rounder, and compared to the “Daheng Duet,” the overall shape is closer to the name “Duet.”

From an aesthetic point of view, “You Ting Duet” can be said to be a recreation and development of “Daheng Duet,” playing a pivotal role between “Daheng Duet” and “Shouzhen Duet.”

“Duet” made by Cheng Shouzhen

The “Shouzhen Duet” took the aesthetic effect and spirit of the Duet Pot to the extreme. Cheng Shouzhen, adopted son of Shao You Ting, continued his family tradition, and his shapes were still simple. His duet pot, based on the “Daheng Duet” and “You Ting Duet,” received even more exquisite artistic treatment: the knob, lid, and body visually formed a true triad of “spheres,” fully embodying the essence of “Duet.”

In a sense, the “Duet Pot” reached its true “name and perfect aesthetic effect” in the hands of Shouzhen.