1930's (?) Yixing find at thrift store, ID help.

[Dan Morrison]

I found this teapot at the local Value Village, I think it was $4.

Now I've seen a fair share of fake and cheap modern pots at thrift stores and antique shops around here... but this pot was different. The authentic appearance of the patina, the clay, and the over-all fit and finish made me pick it up at bring it home.

The lid fits perfectly, and the form is lovely, seems very well made. The hand scraping marks appear on the inside of the pot. They are very faint to the naked eye, but appear much more coarse to my macro lens.

I've included an Imgur link for easier viewing of the photos. http://imgur.com/a/Js3dV

Really not sure about this pot.. but I just wanted to know if it's safe to use, after a good boil of course.

I tried to include all of the little details in the photos, to help with an ID.

A friend of a friend was able to translate the script on the side of the pot, it's the poem JIANG XUE: "The River in Snow" -- LIU ZONGYUAN (773-819)

The characters on the bottom of the pot are,

孙平 刻 丁丑冬月

孙平 is the name, Sun Ping

孙平刻 means sun ping carved the poetry on it and made the tea pot.

丁丑年 means that the year was, 'ding chou years' 1937 - year of the oxe.

Not sure about the seal chops.

Any thoughts? I am not experienced enough to know much about this pot, just going on a hunch.

p.s. - Long time reader, first time poster. Looking forward to more!

[.m.]

That's a beautiful pot. Congratulations.

[steanze]

Hi Dan! Welcome to the Forum! Great to see that you are interested in teapots. I think your teapot should be ok to use. My impression is that it is a modern replica, probably made after the 1990s.

[kyarazen]

丁丑年 can be 1997 too. it is a 60 year cycle.

[Dan Morrison]

丁丑年 can be 1997 too. it is a 60 year cycle.

Ahh, didn't know that, makes much more sense, haha. Thanks!

Steanze, Thanks! And I trust your judgment.

So, seems as though it's not as old as I thought. Now that I take a closer look at it, some of the patina does look a little strange.. the inside of the pot seemed lightly used, there were some loose clay grit in the corners that most certainly would have been washed out by now if the pot was used... but the spout and lid area showed dark patina spots.. perhaps an antiquing wax/finish added by a dealer somewhere down the line.. looking to make the piece appear older.

I'll give it a boil and see how it cleans up.

[jayinhk]

丁丑年 can be 1997 too. it is a 60 year cycle.

Ahh, didn't know that, makes much more sense, haha. Thanks!

Steanze, Thanks! And I trust your judgment.

So, seems as though it's not as old as I thought. Now that I take a closer look at it, some of the patina does look a little strange.. the inside of the pot seemed lightly used, there were some loose clay grit in the corners that most certainly would have been washed out by now if the pot was used... but the spout and lid area showed dark patina spots.. perhaps an antiquing wax/finish added by a dealer somewhere down the line.. looking to make the piece appear older.

I'll give it a boil and see how it cleans up.

The loose clay grit makes it sound like a new pot--possibly a knockoff that has been given the 'aging' treatment (boiling in strong tea or perhaps even burying in dirt)! I would suggest scrubbing the heck out of it first, possibly with isopropyl alcohol, and see what comes off. If any stain remains, try acetone. I recently used some to remove paint flecks on the outside of an old pot and it worked a treat!

[stevorama]

What type of clay is that? On my computer there is an orange-ish hue which reminds me of jiang po ni.

[.m.]

The loose clay grit makes it sound like a new pot--possibly a knockoff that has been given the 'aging' treatment (boiling in strong tea or perhaps even burying in dirt)!

This is not a knockoff. There is quite a difference between a replica and knockoff. The pot seems to be quite well made, with a precision and attention to detail, and the lines are clean. It might have been a cheap pot, but made with a skill. There must have been a plenty of work put into it. That's why i think the clay should be probably ok. Of course a good cleaning needed.

[Dan Morrison]

Into the boil she goes! I will post some photos of the after boil appearance.

I agree that the pot looks well crafted. I bought a knockoff pot long ago, it now sits on the shelf, but comparing the two side by side is night and day.

I think that the 'clay grit' was perhaps potpourri dust. This thing smells strongly of old ladies house, hahah.

Thanks everyone for the input!

[steanze]

What type of clay is that? On my computer there is an orange-ish hue which reminds me of jiang po ni.

+1 I was also thinking of jiang po ni

[jayinhk]

The loose clay grit makes it sound like a new pot--possibly a knockoff that has been given the 'aging' treatment (boiling in strong tea or perhaps even burying in dirt)!

This is not a knockoff. There is quite a difference between a replica and knockoff. The pot seems to be quite well made, with a precision and attention to detail, and the lines are clean. It might have been a cheap pot, but made with a skill. There must have been a plenty of work put into it. That's why i think the clay should be probably ok. Of course a good cleaning needed.

I agree that it looks better than your standard cheap knockoff, and is better made. The clay dust made it sound like a molded cheapie though, that was then artificially aged. The fake Yixing market in China in 2017 is enormous, and there are plenty of pots that mimic older pots and look good doing it. Some of which are total junk!