Sixteen tools of Yixing, collected in 1990 – 1994, in wood, metal, horn, and plastic. The British Museum, London. List of Tools: 1) pedestals on which an upside-down teapot may be supported by the base; 2) flat spatula for shaping teapots and thinning clay sheets; 3) bamboo and metal picks for probing, making holes, and engraving lines in the clay; 4) caliper for measuring and cutting; 5) mingzhen scraper made from buffalo horn 6) hammer used with another tool to emboss designs onto a teapot, including the chop; 7) display wheel; 8) mallet used for flattening clay.
Yixing ceramic artists developed a set of tools[1] for cutting, shaping, drilling, inscribing, and smoothing zisha clay; the tools are a unique aggregate set, yet individually similar to the tools of other ceramic traditions. Historically it was common, if not required, for ceramic artists to produce their own tools[2], such that each artist’s tools were customized.
