Official/Different Yixing Show Off Topic!

[Drax]

Hi All,

Am new to the forum. Had been drinking Pu erh for about a year now. Btw any expert here can do an appraisal for the teapot below? What kind of clay, etc..Would really appreciate..Thanks

Welcome! We've got a "Pu of the day" thread in the Pu'erh forum, be sure to post what you've been drinking there!

I'm certainly not an expert, but I think I recognize that clay as bao lan? Or at least, I have a similar pot -- looks close to black (or extremely dark brown) with red specks. Other experts here will be able to tell you more specifics, I'm sure...

[David R.]

Clay : Zhuni
Size : 93 ml
Walls : Medium
Pour : +/- 13 sec. No drips. Good lid fit.
Source : la Cave à Thé (Switzerland)
Tea Pairing : Light to medium roast rolled oolongs

[ssyeo23]

Thanks Drax looks very much like bao lan….will visit the forum.

Btw just acquired the pot below from Hangzhou. Wonder if it is a good quality clay….any takers?

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[lamppost]

Clay : Zhuni
Size : 93 ml
Walls : Medium
Pour : +/- 13 sec. No drips. Good lid fit.
Source : la Cave à Thé (Switzerland)
Tea Pairing : Light to medium roast rolled oolongs

wow - beautiful pot - David

that must have cost a fortune.

[dangert]

Clay : Zhuni
Size : 93 ml
Walls : Medium
Pour : +/- 13 sec. No drips. Good lid fit.
Source : la Cave à Thé (Switzerland)
Tea Pairing : Light to medium roast rolled oolongs

wow - beautiful pot - David

that must have cost a fortune.

Beautiful indeed. It looks like CHF 250 ($290)according to the published pricelist. Indeed a fortune .

[David R.]

Indeed. I am using it right now as it happens and let me say that I don't regret anything and would buy it again and again and again if I had to !

The pot I showed in the "teaware loss" thread, the one which has been repaired, was also coming from this very shop. It is owned by a tea fan and tea blogger who one day decided to build his own small business, aside from his regular job. His selection is really interesting and original.

[lamppost]

Clay : Zhuni?
Size : 165 ml
Walls : Medium

[David R.]

nice !!

[TIM]

Clay : Zhuni?
Size : 165 ml
Walls : Medium

Hong Ni (red clay). Beautiful General Cap shape

[bagua7]

Can anyone identify this pot and the approximate year of production (owned by a Hong Kongnese friend of mine)?







Thanks!

[tingjunkie]

Can anyone identify this pot and the approximate year of production (owned by a Hong Kongnese friend of mine)?

I'm still not great at this type of guessing just from pics, but if I had to, I'd say a well used and well loved pin zi ni shui ping from the 90's or even early 2000's. I'm usually not a big fan of this style of carving on the outside, but this is very well done. I like it!

[bagua7]

Thanks! But how can you tell the year? Take a look at this one for example:



1970

It looks very similar to my friend's but according to you there would be a 20 year difference between the two.


By the way, about the following comment:

Beautiful indeed. It looks like CHF 250 ($290)according to the published pricelist. Indeed a fortune .

ABOUT COLLECTING YIXING TEAPOTS

Yixing teapots have been the subject of collection since Ming Dynasty. Each piece of work by famous masters were treated like treasure and guarded jealously. Such trends are brought about by the craze over tea drinking, which started in Song Dynasty. In those days, teapots were bought for use rather than for collecting or display.

Gradually, in the late 15th century, people begin to appreciate Yixing teapots and hordes of collectors start to appear. Fueled by the demand for masters' teapots, imitation teapots flooded the market by early 16th century. Many collectors were fooled by these copies because they do not know what the actual piece looks like. All that they can depend on are the dealer, who insisted that it is real. Such problems are still being faced by collectors in present days especially if you are buying the works of masters. There are as many as 10 pieces of imitation for each teapot by a master. You need the skills to authenticate the teapots and determine whether the teapot is what the dealer claimed to be.

So, does that mean you should start collecting works of masters also? No. It all depends on your intention. In fact each and every collectors should set their own goals and ideals when collecting Yixing teapots. Based on what I know, collectors of Yixing teapots basically falls into the following categories:

1
GARBAGE COLLECTOR
-collects all sorts of teapots irregardless of quality so long as it fancies him.

2
TEA DRINKER
-collects those that suits his tea drinking habits only. Not really interested in teapots.

3
SHUI-PING HU ONLY
-collects only a range of commercial teapots knowns as shui-ping teapots.

4
COMMERCIAL TEAPOTS ONLY
-collects only commercial teapots. Similar to the garbage collector but have better taste.

5
OLD TEAPOTS ONLY
-collects only old teapots earlier than 1960s. Generally, pots collected tends to be commercial works rather than masters' works although there are exceptions.

6
MASTERS' WORKS ONLY
-collects only works of masters. Some even collects only teapots from a particular master.

Although it is good to collect with a purpose in mind, we should not ignore the fact that each teapot cost us our hard earn cash . Therefore it would be wise to consider the purchase of a teapot as an investment beside being just a teapot for drinking tea or a display piece. No matter what teapot you intend to buy, it must be properly crafted, no visible cracks, the cover should fit snugly and not wobble around too much (although it may not be possible for commercial teapots) and the tip of the spout, opening of the teapot and the handle should form a straight line. Also, the teapot should feel right in your hand and easy to handle when brewing tea. These are some of the basics you should look out for.

Sad to say, only those collectors in the last 2 categories have opportunities to recoup their costs or maybe made some profit when selling their teapots in future.

Commercial grade Yixing teapots are manufactured in large quantities and the source includes many private factories, located in Yixing, other than the authentic source (Yixing Zisha Factory 1). The market is flooded with such teapot and each are being sold for a few tens of a dollars. Such commercial grade teapots are made from low quality zisha clay and are of poor to average workmanship because it is mass produced for use rather than display. So, who would want to buy your commercial teapots unless it is going for a song?

However, when we consider the case of collecting masters' works, we are generally rewarded with a teapot made of good quality clay and a design that's may or may not be unique but crafted with superb workmanship. Furthermore, limited quantities are produced for each design and the same design will not be repeated again! . The norm is to made about 3 pieces for each design to allow for unexpected changes during firing or breakage. If one piece changed shape or cracked during the firing stage, the master is left with 2 pieces of which is available for sale to interested collectors. Of course, the price of the teapot will be higher if it is the only piece in existence. Many times, it is not uncommon to be holding the only piece available and collectors have been known to snap at such opportunities. I have also grabbed the opportunity to own such a teapot when the only piece of an award winning teapot was made available for collecting (the other piece is in Zisha Pottery Museum of Yixing).

Finally, one word of caution. No matter which category of collectors you are, you should collect only within your means . Budget carefully and do not overspend! That is very important because collecting teapots can be extremely addictive and in Taiwan, some collectors have been known to sell their houses and properties just to acquire some master's teapots (costing over hundreds of thousands of dollars) . Others have given up their jobs and families to pursue some dream teapots. Yixing teapots can be part of our life but we should not let it be all of our life.

Source: http://www.terebess.hu/english/yixing1a.html

Insane!

[tingjunkie]

Let me repeat:

I'm still not great at this type of guessing just from pics, but if I had to...

Clearly my guess should be taken with a grain of salt. For me, dating a post 1960's pot just from pics has become somewhat of a gut reaction based on other pots I've seen/held/owned/examined. Two things which make me feel like your friends pot is more recent is: A) the big fat lid knob, and B) the high dome shape of the lid. Most 70's/80's pots I've seen have smaller knobs and a more shallow dome shape on the lid. It's too hard to make a comparison of the clay since the pic of the second pot you posted doesn't show the texture terribly well. Your friends pot looks like it may (possibly) have some yellow sand mixed in, which (again in my limited experience) indicates pin zi ni from post 80's.

Now, if chrl42 or TIM come along and contradict me, I wouldn't be surprised in the least bit. I'm still trying to learn as I go.

FWIW- According to Mr. Moods, I'd fall mostly into the category 4 collector, with an emphasis on my tea drinking needs and good clay.

[gingkoseto]

Can anyone identify this pot and the approximate year of production (owned by a Hong Kongnese friend of mine)?



Thanks!

I always love plum flower engraving!
From photo there is sometimes color bias. Is it green color? Is it somewhat like this color?


If it's natural green color, then very likely it's a shade from Duan Ni clay.

I have no idea about the age and actually never figured out why age of a teapot matters if it's not affiliated to a super famous person

No idea about the authorship either, but the top side of the chop is near the handle

[gingkoseto]

So, does that mean you should start collecting works of masters also? No. It all depends on your intention. In fact each and every collectors should set their own goals and ideals when collecting Yixing teapots. Based on what I know, collectors of Yixing teapots basically falls into the following categories:

1
GARBAGE COLLECTOR
-collects all sorts of teapots irregardless of quality so long as it fancies him.

2
TEA DRINKER
-collects those that suits his tea drinking habits only. Not really interested in teapots.

3
SHUI-PING HU ONLY
-collects only a range of commercial teapots knowns as shui-ping teapots.

4
COMMERCIAL TEAPOTS ONLY
-collects only commercial teapots. Similar to the garbage collector but have better taste.

5
OLD TEAPOTS ONLY
-collects only old teapots earlier than 1960s. Generally, pots collected tends to be commercial works rather than masters' works although there are exceptions.

6
MASTERS' WORKS ONLY
-collects only works of masters. Some even collects only teapots from a particular master.

I don't think #2 category counts "collectors". I am closest to #2, but I do have some interest in teapots. And I don't think I'm a collector (in terms of both enthusiasm and amount), but rather a user