Chinese Yixing Pumpkin-Form Teapot

Pumpkin teapot with ribs, a twisty stem lid and a stalk for a handle.

This yixing pumpkin-form teapot is from China, and dates to the 20th century. It is pottery. Yixing potters have long made teapots shaped after fruit, flowers and vegetables, and the rounded, ribbed pumpkin is a familiar example of these naturalistic forms. Rounded, ribbed body in soft tan clay with raised leaves pressed on one side. A curled stem forms the lid knob, a branch-like handle arcs on the right, and the spout is a short, pinched bud. It is 7.25 inches wide, 5 deep and 4.75 high.

A harvest on the table, ready to pour.