Outside painted teapots

In the 1970s, some teapots made in the Yixing 1st factory were coated with fine layer of red zisha. These teapots were actually made from the purplish clay. The reason to do so was red teapots were sought after by tea drinkers and the cost of making them was high. Due to the higher cost of red clay, so the purple clay teapot were coated outside with fine layer of red clay, from fine sediments collected over red clay-water mixture. The inside of the teapot remained in its native colour of purple clay.  This gave rise to the so-called inside-purple-outside-red teapots. Quite a lot of teapots were made in this manner in the 70s and early 80s. In those days, there were so many of such teapots available in the market that one paid too much attention to them. The teapots were juct vessels to brew a cup of tea, nothing remarkable about these teapots.

Today these teapots become collectors' darling as they were the products of that unique era from the 1st factory of Yixing (considered the best in Yixing). Of course, tea drinkers would also love to brew old tea in these old vessels. Moreover, the teapots develop a nice reddish shine after many hours of brewing tea.

Today, if you happen to see one such teapot in the market, make sure you acquire it (with the green sticker on) as it is going to cost more and more in the future.

Teapot made in the 70s

Inside purplish outside reddish

Characteristics of teapots of the 70s