Object Details
Artist
Ah Leon 陳景亮 (Taiwan, born 1953)
Label
Ah Leon's dramatic sculptural teapot daringly updates the tradition of Yixing pottery, which has been admired in China since the sixteenth century. Potters from Yixing (near Shanghai) are know for their small, unglazed teapots made from local purplish-brown clay. Ah Leon reinterprets traditional Yixing ware in works that are both functional and sculptural.
For Branch Teapot, Ah Leon was inspired by antique Yixing pots shaped like bamboo or branches. Yet he intensified the visual pun by creating an unabashed simulation of a weathered branch. Ah Leon, who lives in Taiwan, specially selected a local clay similar to that found in Yixing. While he adhered to ancient precedents regarding the construction of a teapot that pours well, his work is modern and expressive.
Provenance
To 1993
Garth Clark Gallery, New York, NY [1]
From 1993
National Museum of Asian Art, purchased from Garth Clark Gallery, New York, NY [2]
Notes:
[1] This was purchased from Garth Clark Gallery in April 1993. Garth Clark Gallery first opened in Los Angeles in 1981, then it opened in New York City in 1983. This gallery in New York City closed in 2008.
[2] From 1993-2023, the object was part of the National Museum of Asian Art’s Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Collection and on March 21, 2023, the work was internally transferred to the National Museum of Asian Art Collection.
Research updated on November 25, 2025
Collection
National Museum of Asian Art Collection
Exhibition History
Honoring Friends: Recent Gifts by Members of the Freer and Sackler Galleries (June 10 to November 25, 2001)
Bridge: Illusion in Clay (March 2 to July 6, 1997)
The Arts of China (November 18, 1990 to September 7, 2014)
Previous custodian or owner
Garth Clark Gallery
Credit Line
Purchase -- funds provided by the Friends of Asian Arts
Date
1992
Period
Modern period
Accession Number
S1993.7a-b
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Type
Vessel
Medium
Unglazed stoneware
Dimensions
H x W x D (overall): 42.2 x 43.1 x 17.3 cm (16 5/8 x 16 15/16 x 6 13/16 in)
Origin
Taipei, Taiwan
See more items in
National Museum of Asian Art
Data Source
National Museum of Asian Art
Topic
ceramic
Modern period (1912 - present)
tea
Taiwan
stoneware
unglazed
Chinese Art
Contemporary Art
Link to Original Record
Record ID
fsg_S1993.7a-b