“Moonpots” are my variation on the 1000-year-old Yixing tradition of making lidded teapots. The Jiangsu region of China boasts a unique purple sand clay which the artisans use to produce beautifully hued ware, but it’s the method and precision of the construction of the pots which first grabbed my attention.
The lid is carefully constructed and the opening is cut to fit the lid.
A very satisfying step is to cut the opening to the lid.
Using a pottery compass, the pot’s parts are cut from of a slab of rolled clay and then the walls are paddled to roundness, sealed and then flipped over. The method results in a “balloon” of clay in which the trapped air acts to pressurize the walls so that the vessel can be shaped and manipulated. Once the clay sets up to leather hardness, the pot openings are cut open for the flanged lid and a spout, handle, and finial are attached.
A young friend of mine passed away and her family approached me with a request to make some sort of keepsake vessel for their mom. This lidded pot design seemed a fitting tribute to my friend who was a huge fan of Japanese culture (she spoke fluent Japanese and was an English teacher to students in Japan). Lastly, I created a special glaze which incorporated my friend’s ashes into the pot’s glassy finish. I hope she would have liked this very much.
Do you need a special moonpot vessel to celebrate the life of a loved one or beloved pet? You can always contact me to talk about the kind of urn you might need.
