Dragon Son Pitcher

This pitcher is part of a new line of teaware from Liu Shisan, a pottery artist in Jingdezhen known for his creativity and expressive style. This style is also at work here—he took inspiration from ceramics that were popular during the Song dynasty and added modern elements to them to produce teaware that is striking, both in terms of shape and the motives that are drawn on it.

Featured on this pitcher is the Dragon Son motif—a red dragon floating through a sea of blue clouds. The spout is slightly longer than usual, with a shape that may remind one of a dragon’s claw at first glance. This claw, along with the various nooks at the top, provides a stable and controlled pour with no risk of spillage, making it ideal for the dry style of gongfucha and letting you savor every precious drop of tea. The warm and earthy hue of its material invites you to long, relaxed tea sessions where you’ll be able to contemplate each tiny speck in its glaze. As time goes on, maybe you’ll discover more and more of them.

The Fenghuang cup and the Monk cup, along with the Blue Rainbow gaiwan, Dragon Son gaiwan, and Fenghuang plate round out this collection to provide you with a full tea set’s worth of Liu Shisan’s artistry.

Please note that all items in this collection are fully handmade, so there will be some variation with regards to size, shape, and glazing.

Written by Sigi

About the Artist

We've already featured the work of Liu Shisan, whose rough, expressive work we discovered and admired on a teaware-sourcing trip to 'the Porcelain Capital' of Jingdezhen. He forms his pieces by hand, on the wheel, but it's the tweaks, pinches, and strokes that give his pieces a larger-than-life character; his pitchers are particularly unique. We paid him another visit in 2024 and got a tour of his studio: