Official/Different Yixing Show Off Topic!

[brandon]

I don't even see the repair?

Rightly so.

"Beauty mark" revealed.

[David R.]

Beautiful ! You have to tell us more about these pots sometime.

[tingjunkie]

Beautiful ! You have to tell us more about these pots sometime.

Thanks! Many of these pots have been detailed earlier in this thread, though I have several new acquisitions which I'm falling behind in documenting.

I miss that pot Brandon, but it's ok, because I know you're giving it a very loving home.

[Abracadaver!]

Thant's a great family photo, TJ...

[tingjunkie]

Thant's a great family photo, TJ...

Coming from you, I'll take that as a pretty good compliment.

[chrl42]

..

I always fancy these talented *Yixing teapot* photographers

looks like 'Qing Yin Zhong Guo~' early-80's Shui Ping? nice one..I 'specially like Mo Lvni Shui Ping

[tingjunkie]

..

I always fancy these talented *Yixing teapot* photographers

looks like 'Qing Yin Zhong Guo~' early-80's Shui Ping? nice one..I 'specially like Mo Lvni Shui Ping

Thanks chrl42! I have to admit, I can't read the chops, so I don't know which pot you are referring to. I have four shui ping which are supposed to be from the 80's, but our local Yixing experts here in NYC have conflicting opinions on their authenticity. Whether or not they are the real deal or repros, the clay is great, and they all brew like champs, so I'm happy either way!

The Muo Lu Ni happens to be my favorite pot of them all. At 40ml, it brews a seriously mean Chou Zhou style high fire TGY for 1-2 people.

[wyardley]

looks like 'Qing Yin Zhong Guo~' early-80's Shui Ping?

Thanks chrl42! I have to admit, I can't read the chops, so I don't know which pot you are referring to.

He's talking about the one w/ 22 or 23 character seal, I think to the right of the flower in the shot where they're upside-down. These were pots commissioned by the CNNP (Xiamen Branch) and the front usually says "Qing Yin Zhongguo Wulong Cha" usually translated as something like "Please Drink Chinese Oolong Tea". There are also some tea boats and other accessories which go with them (and an earlier series of pots which just has text with the name for the CNNP Fujian Tea Export Co, Xiamen Branch in Chinese on the front with a standard 4 character Yixing Zhongguo seal).

All of these pots are widely faked, and the originals spanned quite a period of time (I believe there are some later "official" ones from Factory #2, but most should be from #1 Factory). I have quite a few of them, but none that I'm 100% convinced is authentic. Many of the fakes are good pots in their own right, and at this point, some of the fakes are also fairly old. I have a more recent acquisition which I think is the most credible so far... sadly, it has what is either a tool mark or a hairline crack, so I haven't been using it yet.

More info than you wanted to know, some pics of pots and seals, many of them probably fake, at:
http://teadrunk.org/viewtopic.php?id=50

Also, have been enjoying these links I posted there, some retro illustrations of tea making, which feature some of these pieces of teaware:

Chinglish link: http://www.china-xmtea.com/doccen/cywh.asp
Simplified Chinese: http://www.china-xmtea.com/doccjp/cywh.asp

[tingjunkie]

Oh, yeah. That is a small (60ml) "Please Drink Chinese Oolong Tea" pot. It came from a Hong Kong collector via TIM- a very generous engagement gift!

The flash makes the pot look more red than in real life, but here are the markings. No chop under the lid:

[brandon]

[chicagopotter]

Brandon -- is that from the same maker as tingjunkie's?

[brandon]

Brandon -- is that from the same maker as tingjunkie's?

Similar clay and the same marking, but unlikely that they were made by the same person.

[wyardley]

Similar clay and the same marking, but unlikely that they were made by the same person.

Looks like 荊溪南孟臣製 (jingxi nan mengchen zhi); a very common seal, like yixing zhongguo. Jingxi (Thorn creek?) refers to Yixing, and zhi is used in chops for 'made', as in so-and-so made. As Tim pointed out in the thread linked in the next paragraph, there is also a jingxi bei (north) seal, IIRC used by Factory #2.

A little discussion starting around here, though the pictures are mostly dead now:
http://www.teachat.com/viewtopic.php?p=126770#p126770

And see also
http://books.google.com/books?id=3zAP3t ... en&f=false

Hui Meng Chen was a very famous Yixing potter whose pots were famous and widely imitated; his seal has also been widely used by others, from when he was still alive up until the present day.

[IPT]

I splurged on myself a bit with this. It was made by 周菊英 Zhou Juying of 老紫泥 Lao Zini clay. It holds 200cc and rings like a bell. I love how it pours, in a beautiful full stream. I finished boiling it and am not yet sure what I'll team it up with.

In the grading scale of Zisha potters, 周菊英 Zhou Juying is a third level potter.

[Tead Off]

Great form and good clay, IPT. A votre sante.