The dragon head pot

I have written on this type of pots a few times . Here is a video on an old dragon head pot made in the republic era. The real name of the pot is fish turning into dragon (something like the present day transformer).

Dragon head teapot was originally designed and made by a potter called Shao Dahen who lived during the 19th century. One side of the pot shows a fish while the other side shows a dragon in the midst of roaring waves. The legend has it that the fish jumps over a heavenly gate and transform into a dragon. A sign of good fortune. Hence a lot of potters like to make this pot which is a sign of good things to come.

This is the original design but modified by Huang Yulin, another master who was active in the late Qing dynasty. The pot is bigger than the original one and there is a Yuanbao (gold nugget) at the top of the pot which signifies prosperity.

The interesting thing about this pot is that the dragon head is not attached to the body. It is free to move. The tongue of the dragon will stick out when you are pouring tea. This is one teapot most collectors would like to possess. It is a classic design in the world of pots.