Chinese teapot for the tea ceremony

Chinese teapot made of terracotta, handcrafted. With a saucer for tea tasting (Gong Fu Cha ritual). It is filled with a lot of tea leaves and very little water, with a very quick infusion. This ceramic is recognisable by its red terracotta colour (bluish-grey for the parts that were fired in a reducing atmosphere without oxygen - inside, underneath, etc.). The advantage of porous terracotta, as opposed to stoneware or porcelain, allows the aroma of the tea to be retained in the teapot (do not wash with soap). Signature: handwritten Chinese ideograms on the back of the pieces (artisan's signature). Dimensions: height 8 cm X diameter 6 cm (saucer with a diameter of 10.5 cm). Weight: 163g. Era: late 19th to mid-20th century.