HOW TO AUTHENTICATE YIXING TEAPOTS-2

In this page, I am going to show you various examples of what we discuss previously in how to authenticate Yixing teapots.

Fake Seals 
Although there are a large number of copies done on Shi DaBin’s (famous Ming dynasty master craftsman) works, we present 4 samples of his seal here for analysis.
Do you know which one is the real one? Yes, you guess right! The first one on the right is the original signature of Shi DaBin. The second is a copy done in the early Qing dynasty, which display extremely good calligraphy skills. The third signature was made in the late Qing dynasty but is a poor imitation of the original. The last signature is done in recent years and is good enough to fool even the expert!

If you are still unclear about what I meant by fakes seal chops, I hope this example clear your doubt. The biggest problem here is how do we know it is a fake if we have never seen the real one before? In recent years, many books have been produced which includes examples of a large number of master pieces ever created. Such books can be used as a reference and you can always confirmed the authenticity with other connoisseurs. Do not buy if you are unable to proof beyond a doubt.

I would really advised that potential collectors NOT TO treat the seal chop as a reference point to judge the standard of the teapot. If the chop is by a master craftsman, then the workmanship of the teapot should be that of a master. No excuses for poorly finished corners or unrefined joints. Never convince yourself that the teapot is real based on the seal chop and overlook the poor workmanship. If you get cheated by adopting such practice and attitude, then you got yourself to blame. If the chop is that of a unknown, we can then be more forgiving when judging the workmanship of the teapot.
Seals chops before 1960s are usually made of wood. Those after 1960s are made of stone or metal. The imprint from a wooden seal chop is distinctively different from those made of metal or stone as shown in the photos above. Knowing this can serve as a simple and fast method of determining the age of teapots. Teapots without timber seal chops cannot be older than 1960s. Having a timber seal chop however does guarantee that it is made before the 1960s.

Fake Teapot 1 
Recently, I come across this teapot which was claimed to be from early 19th century.
However, after studying the teapot in detail, I found many things that does not matched what the seller has claim. First, I found out that this particular type of teapot is known in chinese as “Yu Huo Long” and it was created by craftmaster, Chao Da Hern in mid-Qing dynasty. This mean that the teapot was created sometime in late 18th century. This teapot is definitely not Chao’s creation because his seal was not present and the workmanship is real bad. Secondly, in Chao’s original piece, the dragon has got double eye lids but this teapot has got single eye lid. Thirdly, the original dragon was very vivid as compared to this lifeless dragon. Chao Da Hern is a famous master potter during that era. We would expect nothing less than first rate workmanship from him. It is definitely a copy of the original.
Now, how do we determine if the teapot is actually that old. A old teapot which have been around for 200 hundred years must have telltale signs of its age, so how can it be brand new?. Even if it is kept in a perfect condition, it must have gone thru many owners. So if we supposed that each owner use it for just a year, the teapot would have developed a super glossy patina on its outer surface and signs of tea stains in the inner surface of the teapot. But all these are missing from this teapot, so do you think that it is really 200 years old. Definitely not!
Of course, there are arguments that what if the teapot was really kept in a perfect unused condition? I do not disagreed that it could happen but if you understand the chinese culture of that period than you probably would not even think of this possibility. Chinese in the 19th century are avid tea drinkers. Each teapot (especially those by masters) are treasured by many scholars and commoners alike. Each and every teapot is bought for use and never for display because it is not the tradition.
Next, we look at the selling price. Price is a good indication of what sort of product you are buying. Nobody price a volvo for $500 or a loaf of bread for $50 unless you does not know the market value of the product. The seller bought this for $200 from Sotheby but why would Sotheby priced a 19th century teapot at $200 when they priced other late Qing-period teapots being auctioned in Taiwan for more then $5000? Obiviously something is not right here. Maybe you know the reasons?

Next, is the teapot made of zisha clay? Difficult to say but based on the photo, it does seems like zisha. However, from the seller we know that Sotheby auctioned this teapot to him, so it would not be unreasonable for us to consider the teapot as made from zisha.The reason is that even if the seller is not well versed in this field, Sotheby should be able to distinguish between a real and fake Yixing even if they are not capable of telling its age.
Finally, if the teapot is not a early 19th century teapot, then when on earth was it made? Based on the clay properties, the workmanship in certain parts of the teapot and authenticating it with other teapot connoisseurs, we are sure that this teapot is made in the 1980s.
Above is an example of a modern day “Yu Huo Long” teapot by Master Wang Yin Xian. Note the difference in details? You can be sure that the piece done by Chao Da Hern is just as good. Fakes or copies are usually of bad workmanship because it is crafted by the unskilled.

Fake Teapot 2 
This example is similiar to the above but it have a few interesting points that we can learn from. How do you tell that it is not a 19th century teapot? First, as I mentioned above, it has no signs of being used at all. Secondly, we know that there are teapots of such design during that period which also include lions other than cows. The critical give away sign however is the location of the air vent hole. In this teapot it is at the mouth of the cow, but in actual teapots of that period, the vent hole is either at the leg or near the stomach of the animal, never at the mouth!
Also, the outline of the cow is poorly crafted as compared to the original. The fourth factor is the spout. Spouts of teapots in 19th century are long and narrow but the spout of this teapot is short and stout, a copy of master craftsman, He Dao Zhong’s creation in the 1980s. Last, but not least, is the selling price of this teapot which I have already discussed above.

Word of Caution 
I know that some of you may comment that I can never be sure since I have not handled the actual teapot. I agreed with that statement but it depends on the kind of teapot being authenticated. In some cases, even after analysing the photos I am unable to be 100% sure that it is a fake or the real stuff, then I will need to handle the teapot. But in the above examples, the photos are clear enough for me to make a confident authentication of 90%. Still, my advise for all potential collectors are: try to handle the actual teapot when making authentication so that you will learn better.

If you think that authenticating Yixing teapots are a breeze after reading my other article, then you probably realized now that it is not easy and requires expert knowledge. However, I can assure you that if you put in the hardwork and gained the skill to authenticate Yixing teapots, nothing is gonna beat the enjoyment you get out of authenticating Yixing teapots.

HOW TO AUTHENTICATE OLD YIXING TEAPOTS-1

This is in fact the most frequently asked and also one of the most important questions that a would be collector or even a connoisseur would asked. Every Yixing teapot collector would come across so call old Yixing teapots and many would be tempted to buy even though they cannot authenticate it and have to depend on the words of the seller that it is indeed an old teapot. Most of the time, these collectors would discovered later that the teapot is not as old as it was claimed to be. At the worse case, the teapot is a fake and have been ‘made old’ to trick you. So how do you get around all these problems and ensure that what you purchase is truly an old Yixing Teapot?

To be a collector of Yixing teapots, one ought to have an in-depth knowledge of the subject. Know the history and background of Yixing teapots. Understand and be familiar with all the master craftsmen that ever lived and what they are famous for. Example; Jiang Rou, a Grand Master Craftsman of Yixing Zisha Factory (No.1) is an expert creating teapots that emulate real life things such as fruits and insects. So, if someone present to you a geometric teapot made by Jiang Rong, then immediately you know something is wrong. Similarly. Zhu Kexin, a master craftsman of the Ming Guo period, created the Bao Chun teapot in the 1960s, so if you come across a Bao Chun teapot made by someone earlier than that period, do you think it can an authentic piece?

Next, we also need to understand who or which masters are recognised by the central government. Before 1950, there was no proper organization and ranking to all the craftsmen working in Yixing and everyone have to mine, mix and cure their own zisha clay. With the formation of Yixing Zisha Factory (No. 1), these craftsmen were organized and ranked according to a set standard and courses to train new craftsmen were created. All craftsmen have to undergo a series of training comprising of (segments of 3 years each) apprenticeship in pottery, design courses and on-job training. Upon completion of this training period, they may take a craftsmen test and shall be decorated as a craftsman if they pass. They may subsequently progress to asst. master craftsman, master craftsman, senior master craftsman and finally national master craftsman. At every stage, an examination awaits the candiate. Of course, only those craftsmen in Yixing Zisha Factory (No. 1) are recognised by the central government.

Yixing Zisha Factory (No. 2) was formed in 1984 by brothers, Xu Siew Tang and Xu Han Tang, both master craftsmen. They managed to lured some craftsmen from Factory 1 to join them. Subsequent ranking of their craftsmen were self appointed and therefore not recognised by the central government. What does that mean to a teapot collector? Generally speaking that you should avoid collecting teapots made by craftsmen from Factory 2 since they are self appointed masters. However, we have to admit that there are a number of talented craftsmen in Factory 2 and we should collect based on quality rather than namesake.

That is just a bit of the knowledge that all collectors should at least be aware of. Next, lets discuss in detail what exactly you have to look out for when authenticating old teapots.

DESIGN
The design of teapots changes with each era. By reading books on old teapots, you will note that certain designs are popular in certain periods and other designs in another period. Although many masters have done it before, such as Gu Jinzhuo, it is possible to copy the design of the teapot but it is very difficult to copy the spirit. Without the spirit of the original design, an imitation teapot looks lifeless and has no appeal to be collected by anyone except the uneducated. Take the example of my late Qing period (you can view in my Antique Collections) Zhu Ni Shui Ping teapot; such design was created in the Qing dynasty and did pass on to the early days of Ming Guo period. Subsequently it is phased out as potters move on to newer designs. Such design therefore appear only during that period and the workmanship is impeccable. Imitation pieces would never be able to imitate the clay or the workmanship let alone the spirit of the teapot. So, having a knowledge of various teapot designs through the ages would help in determining roughly the age of the teapot. Taking the above example again; if I tell you that the teapot was made in the early Qing period (almost 300 years old) would you believe me? Sure, you can tell that the teapot is old but without the knowledge you won’t know that such design only appear in late Qing!

THE CLAY
I would consider recognising the age of zisha clay as the most difficult to learn because there is absolutely no material available to study or reference from. The matter is made worst by the fact that early craftsmen handle their own clay and each have their own secret way of mixing and preparing the clay for use. So the only way to learn is by handling as many types of teapots as possible especially those old teapots and not forgetting, imitation teapots. Only then can one gain the knowledge of how zisha clay changes through time, recognises the properties of old clay and most important of all, ability to weed out the fake teapots.

Example; zhu ni clay has properties that make it unsuitable for large teapots because it tends to crack-up during heating. So, if you see a large zhu ni teapot, then you can be sure that this teapot is not make of pure zhu ni but a mixture of other zisha clay also. The color and characteristics of zisha clay changes through time so it is possible to tell the age of a zisha teapot by looking at the clay. For example, since zhu ni went extinct by early 1970s, there cannot be zhu ni teapot make in the 1980s unless created by some masters who have kept the clay for so long.
Example; Tianqing clay (greyish color) appears during the mid-Qing dynasty and went extinct before end of Qing dynasty. It is so rare that some shops are claiming that teapots of Tianqing clay are from the Ming dynasty!

In fact, the properties of zisha clay is so complex that it sometime confuses even the experts if they are not careful. There have been many cases where teapot connoisseurs, who were recognized to be an expert in this field, got conned into purchasing teapots that have been treated to look old. Many auction houses now do not accept old teapots for auction because they do not have the expertise to really authenticate them.

WORKMANSHIP
In the old days, Yixing teapots are created by hand, meaning that every single part, curve and decor is create manually without the assistance of moulds. Time has changed with more and more craftsmen turning to moulds when creating teapots. However, many craftsmasters are still adhering to the tradition of full hand made teapots. Every master craftsman has skills that specialises in certain areas. Some are talented in making ‘hua huo’ or decorated teapots (such as Wang Yin Xian), others are extremely good in geometric shapes and so on.

Having specialised skills in one field does not mean that these potters will not create teapots of other shapes. But no matter what sort of teapot a master craftsman create, the workmanship and quality is undisputed. Every single detail is taken care of with no edges left untouched. If you come across so call teapots by masters but exhibits poor workmanship in certain parts of the teapot, then I advise that you take more than a second look because it is probably a fake!

MAKER’S CHOP
One of the unique feature of Yixing teapots is that every single piece have the maker’s chop. Most craftsman uses more than one type of chop and some of them does not even reflect their name or are written so artistically that unless you knew or seen it before, it is not possible to be sure who make the this teapot and whether it is authentic.

It is therefore not wise to buy any teapot based on solely on the maker’s chop. Since the early Ming Dynasty, many craftsmen have copied masters such as GongChun and Shi Dabin etc. Some of these copies are actually so well made that they become master pieces of their own. I personally come across collectors who purchased teapots based on the maker’s chop. They are willing to overlook all the defects in the teapot such as poor workmanship and lack of spirit, so long as the chop is that of a master’s!

In fact, fake maker’s chop in teapots for early masters are easy to detect because no matter how good these people are, they cannot manually copy the strokes of a character done by the masters. Even if they are able to do so, other tell tale signs such as the age of the clay etc. will help us distinguish it. The only problem is that most of us do not have access to such master pieces for comparision. Also, it helps if we understand the fact that all teapots by masters in the 16th century, such as Shi Dabin, are hand written signatures rather than seal chopped! So if you see a Shi Dabin teapot with a seal chop, it is guaranteed a fake. Seal chops never come into used till much later. Similarly, calligraphy on teapots although started in early Qing Dynasty, was only made popular by Chen Mansheng in the mid-Qing period. So how could a Ming Dynasty teapot come with calligraphy engraved on it?

BEWARE OF ‘MADE OLD’ TEAPOTS
There are many teapots on the market that have been treated or ‘made old’ to trick the unknowing. All these teapots are mostly not of Yixing origin and bears some masters’ chop. The outer surface have been sand down and rub with shoe brush, black soot and some even buried in soil for a period of time to give it a old and used look. This method is easy to tell because for many of them the inside of the teapot was not treated, one look at the clay reveals all. For those where the interior have been treated and the clay cannot be distinguish, a brush and a pail of hot water is all that is needed to wash the dirt away. I have heard of another method where the dirt cannot be removed using water and requires thinner to reveal the actual clay below.

I have seen such teapots everywhere I went, in China, Singapore, Taiwan, Hongkong and Malaysia etc. In fact I bought one many years ago and spent half a day brushing away the dirt from the surface of the teapot. Well, that teapot is still around and the chop at the bottom is that of ‘Shi DaBin’, the great master craftsman from Ming dynasty.

Very few old teapots survived centuries and still remain complete. Most old teapots are either chipped at the edge or missing one part of it. It is rare to find an old teapot that does not have a patina over the surface as a result of years of use. New teapots made old can never exihibit such patina unless it has been treated as I mentioned above.

 

So, now you understand that collecting Yixing teapot is difficult, authenticating an old Yixing is even more difficult. You just need to have that knowledge and there is no other way you are gonna acquired it except by seeing as many old teapots as possible. It is not common that ordinary collectors are able to have the opportunity to own a master teapot that are more than a century old. However, if such opportunity should appear, it is wise to authenticate it further by seeking the assistance of other experts since the chance of it being a fake is 99%!

Most, if not all collectors, paid for their lessons when they bought so call masters’ or old teapots which turn out to be fakes. It is a costly lesson and cannot be avoided. If you have not gone through this stage, then your are still far from being a teapot connoisseur.

HOW TO SELECT A YIXING TEAPOT

A teapot is the heart of a set of tea appliances. A good teapot not only allows the tea leaves to give its best, it also helps a tea connoiseurship enjoy the art of brewing of chinese tea to the most.

1. Well Crafted
All parts of the teapot should not only look in proportion to each other so that in whole, gives a sense of beauty. Since we all have diiferent perceptions as to what beauty is and different purposes in collecting teapots, so long as you like the teapot, there is nothing wrong in collecting it. Afterall, you will be the one using or appreciating it from now on and not someone else.

2. Easy to hold
The curvature of the handle of a teapot is control by the size of the teapot. Where to place the handle will affect the centre of gravity of the teapot when it is filled with water during brewing of tea. If it results in gravity being off centre, then the teapot will be difficult to hold and pour. Therefore, a good teapot should been designed such that it allows one to hold the teapot comfortably.

3. Smooth water flow
How the tea flows out of the tea spout will affect the quality of the tea. Tea should flow out fast, straight and smooth instead of dripping. If the flow is too slow, the tea leaves would have been steep for too long. The spout should enable all the tea to flow completely out of the teapot instead of leaving a residue amount. According to an expert, tea poured from a teapot with straight spout would have a higher fragrance than from one with a curving spout. But it is exactly the reverse when it comes to after taste in the throat. How much truth are there in these statement? Try it out and tell me!

4.Tightness of cover
The teapot cover when covered should seal the teapot as tight as possible. This will enable all fragance of the tea leaves to remain in the teapot. One simple way to test is to fill the teapot with 2/3 full of water and invert the teapot, with your finger tightly sealing the opening of the spout. The teapot cover should not fall off, showing that it is tightly sealed.

5. Exterior appearance
The exterior of the teapot should be smooth and complete without any chipped or cracked showing. Old teapots usually chipped at the spout, the edge of the opening and cover. When buying a old teapot, lookout for any heavily stained parts as it concealed cracks which would otherwise go unnotice.

6. Quality of the clay
It is very difficult for a beginner to determine the quality of the clay without being exposed to all the different types of teapots and making an indepth study of it. Therefore, you will have to read more books, examined as many teapots as you can and soon you will be able to distinguish whether a teapot is of good quality clay and how old is the clay etc.

7. Smell of clay
New teapots usually have no smell, but some teapots do exhibit some unpleasant clay smell which if not properly treated will seriously affect the taste of your tea.

8. How to prepare a new teapot
Before using a new teapot you should prepare it so that the teapot is ready for absorbing all the fragrance of the tea leaves.

Finally, do remember that you should use different teapots to brew different types of tea leaves. Yixing clay are very porous that’s why it is such a good vessel for brewing tea as it able to retain the as well as trap tea particles in these pores. With frequent usage, more and more tea particles are trapped and every time you brew tea, fragrance is released, which when mixed with the current brew makes the tea taste better than if it was brewed in a new teapot. In 30 years’ time your teapot will have absorbed so much tea fragrance that it gives you a fragrant tea drink by just pouring hot water into the teapot (without adding any tea leaves).
Well, I have not brewed any teapot long enough to achieve that. If you do, let me know.

How to Brew Tai Ping Hou Kui

Water
In you are using tap water, it is necessary to use a water filter that consists of activated carbon filter. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be able to enjoy the authentic taste of tea. If using a commercial mineral water, it is important to choose the natural mineral water.
Never use distilled water or reversed osmosis processed water. These water lack of mineral content and thus the taste of tea is too soft and a little plain.
Soft water is better than hard water. Brewing tea with hard water makes taste bitter while soft water makes taste gentle and sweet. The softness of water is written on the mineral water bottle as TDS: total dissolved solid. You need to choose the water that TDS is below 200mg/liter.

Use fresh water which has not boiled before. Bring the cold water to boil and cool down until required temperature. This is to evaporate some chlorine from the water.
Beforehand, it is important to warm the glass well by rinsing it out with boiled water. This should be done just before adding the tea leaves, so that leaves benefit from a gentle humid heat.
It is important to maintain the water temperature when brewing for efficacious extraction of substances from leaf.
The method of brewing Taiping Houkui is named as “Down-Tossing Infiltration Brewing”. This method suits tea which is loose and unfold. The leaf of Taiping Houkui is large and easily suspended on water surface.
Besides, its flat shape makes it more buoyant and it is difficult to sink when brewed. With this brewing method, the leaf is brewed “twice”: firstly, the leaf is moistened with a small quantity of water and let it unfold, followed by addition of more water to make up a cup of tea.

The details of preparing Taiping Houkui following Down-Tossing Infiltration Brewing method is described as below:

There is another way to enjoy Taiping Houkui.

When the liquor of previous brewing is left to about 1/3 in the glass, pour in another 100 ml of boiled water (at 85-90 degree C). Brew for 5 minutes and it is ready.
In such a way, the taste is not diluted too much for subsequent brewing up to 4 times.
If tea is not served at once, tea leaves must be filtered well and kept without water. Place a tea strainer on top of the cup before pouring the tea into the cup.
This is to avoid the liquor becoming bitter and stewed. Besides, it prevents tea leaves from being over cooked.
In addition, tea after filtration will be ready for second brewing.

The History of Yixing Purple Clay Tea Pot

1. About the origin of the Yixing purple clay tea pot.

Yixing,a picturesque city,is located on the Taihu Lake in Jiangsu province, China. The city is famous for its rich resources and outstanding talents. Among the products,ceramics are the most famous. Based on the textual and archaeological researches, in the Neolithic Age as far as 5000 years ago,the forefathers of Yixing were engaged in the farming and the pottery marking. Some ruins of ancient pottery workshops and kilns in Yixing Ding Shu town have always been found in recent years. There are 5 neolithic site(5000 years ago),3 Han Dynasty Kiln site(Before206-A.D.220), 3 Six Dynasty Kilns(A.D.420-A.D581),9 Sui Dynasty,Tang Dynasty kilns(A.D.581-A.D.907),20 Song Dynasty,Yuan Dynasty kilns(A.D.960-A.D.1368).60 Ming Dynasty,Qing Dynasty kilns(A.D.1368-A.D.1911).One of the Tang Dynasty’s Dragon Kiln,located in the east of Ding Shu Town, it is 700 square metres ,80 stere and has fire ware ability. Yixing purple clay tea pots were produced base on a long pottery tradition in Yixing.

Another important diathesis ,Yixing is a famous tea area in ancient China,one kind of Yixing tea (the Yun Wu Tea) was the tribute tea during early Tang Dynasty. The total quantity is over 5000 kgs. During Tang Dynasty, there are ten thousands tea workers picking tea every year, over 30 tea factories.The most famous tea master Lu Yu used to visit Yixing for enjoying the Yixing tea regularly at that time.

The most important diathesis is that the rare purple clay was found in the mountains of Ding Shu Town in Yixing. The purple clay has very unusual characteristic ,it is the best material for tea pot in the world. In 1976,one of the Song Dynasty Dragon Kilns was found on the Yang Jiao mountain of Ding Shu town, together with many fragmentary of purple clay teapots.(img.left).

It is also affirmed by the Song dynasty poem. Some Song Dynasty’s poems mentioned purple clay tea pot, so it is approved that Yixing purple clay tea pot was produced since middle Song Dynasty. However, some specialists believe it was produced in Ming Dynasty. Mr. Zhou Gao Qi, one writer lived in Ming Dynasty, the author of ‘Yang Xian Tea Pot series’,(PS:Yixing was called “Yang Xian” in ancient) specially described the originate and the technology features of Yixing purple clay tea pot, and the purple clay material.

For the origins ofthe purple clay tea pot, he mentioned ‘A bare foot monk who lives in JingSha temple in DingShu interests in studying pottery with potters. He creates some simple and unique tea pots with purple clay for his own interests. (PS: There are many temples inancient China, many monks who lived there were drinking tea with a bowl. The tea pot ishard to find during that period)

A learned man named WuYuShan came to Jing Sha temple for study. His servant Gong Chun accompanied him. Gong Chun has been learning to make the purple clay tea pot with the monk in his spare time. He imitated the burl of an old tree in the temple and made a unique pot, which is the famous ‘Gong Chun Pot’. Many researchers believe it is the first purple clay tea pot in its true sense.

Gong Chun Purple clay tea pot

(PS: This pot iscollected inChina History Museum noww. cover has been lost during the war and was added by Qing Dynasty Craftwork Master Wang YuLing. )

 

2. The developing of Yixing purple tea pot during Ming Dynasty

 

In 1965, a purple clay tea pot was unearthed from an ancient tomb in Nang Jing city. The owner of the tomb is Wu Jing, who was an eunuch of Ministry of Rites in Jia Jing Year Ming Dynasty(1533).
In 1991, a purple clay tea pot was unearthed from an ancient well in the famous Nan Chan temple in Wuxi.This tea pot is very alike with the pot in Wu Jing’s tomb on the purple clay material and producing technology. And many porcelains of Zheng De year Ming Dynasty were unearthed together with this pot.
During early Ming Dynasty, the most famous masters are Zhao Liang, Dong Han, Yuan Chang, Shi Peng. They are live on Jia Jing year and Long Qing year in Ming Dynasty. The main style is Ti Liang Tea Pot.

There has been emerged in a number of masters since Wan Li Year to the end of Ming Dynasty. The most famous one is Mr. Shi Da Bing(Shi Peng’s son),who has enjoyed a very high reputation at that time. It has been very difficult to get his works, even the moguls.
There were only 7 pieces in China are really Shi Da Bing’s tea pot at present. Meanwhile, there are 15-20 pieces abroad. Shi Da Bing was very strict with his works. The tea pots will be smashed if they are not perfect. Many craft work masters copied Shi Da Bing’s pot in Qing Dynasty, include some famous ones.

Another famous master is Hui Meng Cheng in Ming Dynasty. Other great masters are Li Mao Ling, Li Zhong Fang, Xu You Quan, Ou Zheng Cun, Shao Weng Jing, Shao Wen Ying, Jiang Bo Kua, Cheng Xing Qing, Cheng Guang Pu, Cheng Jun Qing, Cheng Zi Qi,etc

Tea culture happened to be changed in Ming Dynasty, so people replaced the tea bowl with tea pot to make tea with hot water instead of stew. Furthermore, the tea cakes has been replaced with loose leaf tea. The smaller tea pots are more popular because they could keep the fragrance of tea better than larger ones. Most people considered that purple clay tea pots are much better than the onces made from silver, stannum and copper. They became more and more popular and precious at that time. The purple clay tea pots are especially aspired by the bookmen and scholar-bureaucrats. Some of them have been starting to collect the purple clay tea pots.

3. The thriving and prosperous of purple tea pot During Qing Dynasty

Qing Dynasty is the gold era of the purple clay tea pot. Although it is not as colorful as the porcelain tea ware from Jing De Town, the design, style and patterns are more rich than porcelain tea ware. The decorating technology of the purple clay tea pot reaches its high level. Besides carved calligraphy, there are clay painting, carved painting, colour glaze painting, basso-relievo, stack clay painting, stick clay painting, mill clay painting, inlay clay, inlay gold, hollow out, bind up gold, bind up silver, bind up lacquer, burnish, etc Many purple clay tea pots have been presented to the emperor as a tribute in early Qing Dynasty.(In Fact, purple clay tea pots have already entered the palace in Wan Li year, Ming Dynasty(1570). A tea pot made by Shi Da Bing was found in the Imperial Palace.)

Kang Xi, the emperor of early Qing Dynasty, likes purple clay tea pots very much. However, he prefers to add colour enamel onto the pots and made them look more showy. He prohibited the pot makers to seal on the tea pots. Only the title of the emperor could be shown on the tea pots. This rule was continued to Yong Zheng emperor and Qian Long emperor. So you will not be able to see the seal of the makers on the tribute tea pots in early Qing Dynasty.

Yong Zheng emperor were very interested in the designs of purple tea pot. He gave orders to the craft workers to imitate the designs to make porcelain tea ware, silver tea ware, copper tea ware, etc.(it was proven by the original record in Yong Zheng 11 year,No.3360) Although Yong Zheng emperor only on the throne for 13 years, there are still many purple clay tea pots were found in the royal court during this period.
Most of the royal court using purple clay tea pots are from Qiang Long emperor era. Qiang Long emperor likes drinking tea for his whole life. He used to say ‘I, the emperor, cannot live even one day without tea.’ So he prefers the purple clay tea pots more. Qiang Long emperor instructed the craft workers to carve his poem onto the tea pots, so most of the royal court using tea pots at that time got his poem on the body. Qiang Long emperor advocated his people to use purple tea pot. So purple tea pots were very fashionable during Qiang Long era and a long time after Qian Long.

After Qiang Long era, more purple tea pots entered into the palace. There were no strict restricted about the seal of the makers, so it’s easy to find many purple clay tea pots with famous craft work master’s seal in the Imperial Palace after Qian Long Emperor.

In 1685, Kong Xi emperor agreed to have trade relations with oversea,so purple clay tea pots were exported to Europe with Chinese tea. Soon, Europe people were attracted by them. They praise it as ‘Red Porcelain’. In 1711, Mr Bo Te Ge, a famous potter from German,succeed made 2000 pcs red pottery tea pot imitate yixing purple teapot, and writed disquisition ‘Red sand porcelain’. There is one Yixing Purple tea pot that was collected in the state museum of denmark,which was used by the king of denmark in 1674. Yixing purple clay tea pot was exported to Japan, East-South Asia, Central America etc contries since 17 century and 18 century.

In early days of Qing Dynasty,The most famous great master is Mr Cheng Ming Yuan, it was recorded in ‘Yang Xian Famous potters’ by Wu Qian in 1786 (PS:Yixing is call “Yang Xian in Ancient). Wu Qian belives that Cheng Ming Yuan’s tea pot is the best in history. Tea pots he made were exceed all other tea pots of the three era. His works are equal with Shi Da Bing. It has been proved , the carved Calligraphy on Cheng Ming Yuan’s tea pots were written by famous calligrapher Cao Qian Rang. This modus operandi was continued upto now. Many famous literators, painters and politicians would like to writed their epigraph onto the purple clay tea pots to increase it’s value. They were invited by some great tea pot masters to their home to assist them making tea pots.

In the medium-term and later period in Qing Dynasty,the most exponent of the tea pots is the ‘Man Sheng pot’ which was cooperated made by Cheng Man Sheng and Yang Peng Nian.Yang Peng Nian made the pot, then it would be epigraphed by Cheng Man Sheng who was a famous calligrapher and painter. ‘Man Sheng pot’ was very rare at that time. Afterward,Yang Bao Nian(Yang Peng Nian’s brother)and Yang Feng Nian(Yang Peng Nian’s sister)helped Yang Peng Nian making “Man Sheng Pot”, Normally, Cheng Man Sheng’s seal appears on the bottom of the pot. Yang Peng Nian’seal is on the bottom of the cover and handle. His seal also smaller than Cheng Man Sheng’s which indicates this tea pot master’s humble personality.

Another great master of this period is Shao Da Heng, his famous work is the ‘Eight Diagrams Bundle Bamboo Pot’ and the ‘Fish turned to Dragon Pot’.

The last stage of Qing Dynasty is a prosperous period to yixing purple tea pot. Some ethical capitalist start rising, mainly in Shanghai. Many dealers appeared in Shanghai to deal yixing purple tea pot. This situation was giving a swift boost to Yixing tea pot manufaturers.

The most accomplishment were made by Cheng Shou Zheng, Yu Guo Liang and Pei Shi Ming. Cheng Shou Zheng’s ‘De ball pot’ and ‘Archaize pot’ won the gold award on the Panama international exhibition in 1919. He is the first tea pot master who had won gold award internationally in the history of purple clay tea pot industry. Through the hard work of zisha pottery artists and tea pot masters of different generations, the purple clay tea pot present their rich culture and artistic quality to the world and gain the prestige by showing their special charm.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the purple clay teapots were awarded the first prize at Panama International Exposition. Then the gold prize at Chicago Exposition, London Arts Exhibition and Philadelphia International Arts Exposition. etc.