I stand corrected... been scouring the net looking for identical chops to try to getting closer to the artist since I received the pot a few days ago... almost been an obsession, and a fun thing to do while sipping on my tea.steanze wrote:They did make very ornate pots in late Qing/early ROC. But they look quite different from that one... for example like this: http://fs01.bokee.net/userfilespace/201 ... 977724.jpgNanoCrazed wrote:
I was suspicious too as it is almost too ornate.
In the pot you posted, the clay looks strangely uniform, with little "sandy" texture, which is strange for a zini from that period. Also the style of the mark is strange for late Qing/ROC. There are many things that all point to it being made much later, after 1990s. I might be wrong, but I'd say there is a 99% chance it's made after 1990, and a 1% chance or less that it's from 1900-1909...
coincidentally right after my last post, I came across chops that lead me to think the pot is made by 周桂珍 , Zhou Gui Zhen (I have a terrible time reading stylized chop marks, particularly those in archaic forms).I found several examples of her chops on various works but none exactly in the same style as on the one I have. But over several chops, the character style all line up.
Thoughts?
I suggest that when you plan to get a pot next, you try to aim for a 70s-80s qing shui ni from factory 1, there are some offered from time to time at reasonable prices and they are a good starting point as an example of good clay. Simple shapes and good clays make for a teapot that you will enjoy for a long time even as you learn more about the subject.
