Du Daxiang

Du Daxiang worked his magic during the Qianlong period, one of the most dazzling eras in all of Chinese history — a time when emperors were obsessed with beauty and artisans were pushed to their creative limits. Though history kept his story modest, his hands shaped teapots in the great Yixing tradition at a moment when the craft was celebrated in imperial courts and scholars' studies alike. He was part of a golden generation of Zisha masters who turned humble purple clay into something close to poetry.