The teapot was invented in China during the Yuan Dynasty. It was probably derived from ceramic kettles and wine pots, which were made of bronze and other metals and were a feature of Chinese life for thousands of years. Tea preparation during previous dynasties did not use a teapot.
茶壶是元代中国发明的，这可能是从陶瓷壶和酒壶演变而来的，由铜和其他金属制成，是几千年来中国式生活方式的一个特征。在元代之前的历届朝代，泡茶煮茶的过程中都没有使用过茶壶这种东西。
元朝的茶壶

A large teapot China, Yuan Dynasty, 13th Cent - Bronze teapot with dark patina, presents elegant zoomorphic shape. lxh 33 x 30 cm
大型的元代茶壶，13世纪，青铜茶壶。
In the Tang Dynasty, a cauldron was used to boil ground tea, which was served in bowls. Song Dynasty tea was made by boiling water in a kettle then pouring the water into a bowl with finely ground tea leaves. A brush was then used to stir the tea.
在唐代，用来煮擂茶的是一口大锅，喝茶的时候是装在碗里的。宋代喝茶，是用烧一壶开水，然后将水倒进装茶叶的碗里，并用一个茶刷子来搅拌茶叶。

Rare Chinese early Yaozhou celadon glazed ewer: of globular form set on a slightly splayed foot, with a thick strap handle, and with a short curved spout; the body showing deeply and sharply carved continuous design of peony blossom and foliage; and a slightly domed cover; Song Dynasty or earlier; H: 8"
罕见的宋朝壶

Written evidence of a teapot appears in the Yuan Dynasty text Jiyuan Conghua, which describes a teapot that the author, Cai Shizhan, bought from the scholar Sun Daoming. By the Ming Dynasty, teapots were widespread in China.[1] The earliest example of a teapot that has survived to this day seems to be the one in the Flagstaff House Museum of Teaware; it has been dated to 1513 and is attributed to Gongchun.
第一个出现茶壶的书面证据，在元代杂剧文本《济源从化》中，它描述了一个茶壶，由作者蔡诗展从学者孙道明处购得。

A Chinese Glazed Ceramic Tea Pot 4 x 4 in.Qing Pai glaze. Possibly Song Dynasty. Acquired from the Buntin Collection.
青白瓷器，可能源自宋朝。

A small Qingbai ewer and cover, Yuan Dynasty, 1280-1368
By the Ming Dynasty, teapots were widespread in China.The earliest example of a teapot that has survived to this day seems to be the one in the Flagstaff House Museum of Teaware; it has been dated to 1513 and is attributed to Gongchun.
到了明代，茶壶在中国变得非常普遍了，之前的酒壶和茶壶分不清的现象已经改变。最早的一个茶壶现今存在的证据似乎是在茶具博物馆中保存的，据查日期是1513年，是向供春致敬的。

A Rare Chinese Ming Dynasty Blue and White Porcelain Pot with Xunde Mark
明代宣德年间青花瓷茶壶

Ming Dynasty WanLi Imperialware Five-colored Porcelain Tea Pot
明代万历年间皇家瓷器五色茶壶

Porcelain (China, Ming Dynasty, probably Wan-li period [1573–1619]) with silver mounts
现在来说一下供春！
据《阳羡瓷壶赋·序》记载，紫砂壶的创始人是明代的供春。
供春(约1506—1566)，又称供龚春、龚春。明正德嘉靖（公元1522年～1566年）年间人，生卒不详。原为宜兴进士吴颐山的家僮。吴颐山，名仕，字克学，与苏州唐伯虎等友善。
正 德甲戌年（1514年）进士，后以提学副使擢四川参政。据记载，吴颐山未中进士前，读书宜兴金沙寺（在今宜兴湖滏镇）。书僮供春“给使之暇”，发觉金沙寺 僧人将制作陶缸陶瓮的细土，加以澄练，捏筑为胎，规而圆之，刳使中空，制成壶样。便“窃仿老僧心匠，亦淘细土，抟坯茶匙穴中，指掠内外”，做成“栗色暗暗 如古金鉄”的茶壶，这就是后来名闻遐迩的紫砂茶壶。因壶为供春所制，通称“供春壶”。现藏中国历史博物馆的树瘿壶，就是他所制，造型古朴，指螺纹隐现，把 内及壶身有篆书“供春”二字。

民 间也流传着关于供春壶的故事：传说明代正德年间有一位读书人在宜兴的金沙寺复习迎考，他的书童供春就在寺内向金沙寺僧学习用紫砂制壶，并且进行了自己的改 造，把原来实用性为主的壶制作得更有文化气息。当时文人们对于奇石有种独特的审美，他们认为“丑极”就是“美极”，如果一块石头达到了“瘦、漏、透、皱” 的程度，这就是一块美石。当时供春仿照金沙寺旁大银杏树的树瘿，也就是树瘤的形状做了一把壶，并刻上树瘿上的花纹，烧成之后，这把壶非常古朴可爱，很合文 人的意，于是这种仿照自然形态的紫砂壶一下子出了名，人们都叫它供春壶。由于身份原因，供春结交的都是一些读书人，文人爱喝茶，大家在一起谈论文学时品茶 聊天，所以供春壶在文人中一下传播开了。
供春作品目前存世只有两件：一件树瘿壶（上图），今藏北京中国历史博物馆；另一件六瓣圆囊壶（下图），今藏香港茶具文物馆。

下面来说茶壶对世界文明的影响。
Early teapots are small by western standards because they are generally designed for a single drinker, and the Chinese historically drank the tea directly from the spout. The size reflects the importance of serving single portions so that the flavours can be better concentrated and controlled, then repeated.
早期西方引进的茶壶都是很小的单件。因为它们一般都是为个人饮用来设计的，而且中国历史上用茶壶喝茶都是直接对壶嘴喝的。这个壶身的大小直接影响了泡茶的比例和口味的集中和控制，然后可以重复进行。


1842-1848 French Teapot

Teapot with Pattern of the "Hundred Antiques" Qing dynasty (1644–1911) Date: 19th century Culture: China
From the end of the 17th century tea was shipped from China to Europe as part of the export of exotic spices and luxury goods. The ships that brought the tea also carried porcelain teapots. The majority of these teapots were painted in blue and white underglaze. Porcelain, being completely vitrified, will withstand sea water without damage, so the teapots were packed below deck whilst the tea was stowed above deck to ensure that it remained dry.
十七世纪末，茶叶从中国运到欧洲，作为一种外来的香料和奢侈品出口的一部分，运茶叶的船也运输茶壶瓷器。这些茶壶大部分是青花瓷，完全玻璃化，不会受到海水盐份的侵害，所以茶壶一般装在甲板下面，而茶叶被存放在甲板上以确保它们干燥。

China, Ming period, blue and white teapot, with bulbous shape and flat base, in the form of a rooster, with feather and flower motif details.
中国明朝青花瓷茶壶。

Qing Dynasty, Kangxi Period (1662-1722) Chinese Blue and White Covered Teapot Exported to Holland. Monogrammed Dutch Silver Mounts. The Letter 'G' in Underglaze Blue on the Base.
清朝康熙年间，中国青花瓷茶壶出口到荷兰。

Teapot with Cover Artist/maker unknown, English c. 1760

Fine Antique Japanese Hirado porcelain teapot and cover, 'meiji period', Fashioned with openwork 'basket-weave' sides, the spout and handle modeled Dragon, lid inverts for cup.
日本茶壶

Chinese Porcelain Dragon Leopard Tea Pot.
Tea drinking in Europe was initially the preserve of the upper classes, due the expense. Porcelain teapots were particularly desirable because porcelain could not be made in Europe at that time. It wasn't until 1708 that Ehrenfried Walther von Tschirnhaus devised a way of making porcelain in Dresden, Germany, and started the Meissen factory in 1710.When European potteries began to make their own tea wares they were inspired by the Chinese designs.
茶饮在欧洲最初是由上层阶级来享受的，因为很昂贵。瓷器茶壶是特别被渴望的，因为欧洲当时不能生产瓷器，直到1708年德国的德累斯顿才开始制造瓷器，欧洲人开始制作陶瓷茶具，都是受到中国茶壶设计的影响。

Dutch Silver Tea Pot with Dolphin Spout c1730
荷兰银质茶壶

Rare Vintage Chinese Export Ceremonial Teapot with by luxethnic

Sterling Teapot by Barnard London 1839

Tiffany & Co sterling silver teapot in a floral repoussé pattern, with a shell motif around the base. New York, c1881 (Britannia Silver)

1855-1861 French Sèvres Coffee and tea service at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Teapot and stove ~ France ~ 1760

Staffordshire Blue and White Teapot - circa 1830's
In colonial America, Boston became the epicenter for silver production and artistry. Among the many artists in Boston there were four major families in the city's silver market: Edwards, Revere, Burt and Hurd. Their works of art included silver teapots.
在殖民地美国，波士顿成为了银器生产和艺术中心。在波士顿城内有银市场四大家族：爱德华兹，利福利，波特和赫德，他们的艺术作品中包括银茶壶。

English silver antique teapot

Blue and white salt-glazed teapot, English (Staffordshire), about 1750–60.

Historical Staffordshire Teapot
To keep teapots hot after tea is first brewed, early English households employed the tea cosy, a padded fabric covering, much like a hat, that slips over the tea pot. Often decorated with lace or log cabin motifs in the early 1900s, the modern tea cosy has come back into fashion with the resurgence of loose leaf tea ateliers.
如何把茶壶保暖，早期英国家庭使用的茶壶都有一个软垫织物覆盖，很像一顶帽子，套在茶壶上。经常还用花边或小木屋图案装饰，在1900年早期。到了现在，这种茶套又死灰复燃。

早期茶壶套子

现在茶壶套子时尚又重现