Hey guys!
Hope you are all having a lovely day. I’m in need of some help by way of identifying and authenticating this Yixing pot.
I’ve been practicing Gongfu-Cha for 7 or so years, I’ve built up a very small collection of Yixing ware including 4 or so teapots. By no means an expert on the topic but like to think I can identify a ‘good’ pot.
I recently acquired this particular pot. The clay looks high quality with a lot of texture and minerals. Nice little specks of black and shiny mica etc. The colour is nice and natural and to me, looks like genuine Yixing clay.
The inscribed poem and bamboo drawing are signed by famous poet, calligrapher and potter; Zi Zhi 子治. The stamp is a direct match for match with a pot in the British Museum, please see below:
https://www.britishmuseum.org/collectio ... ranks-2450
Yang Youlan is of course one of the foremost famed masters of the Mid Qing Dynasty. Obviously I’d usually write the pot off as a fake and be done with it, but the unusually high quality clay and the accuracy of the stamp has me confused.
Would people really go to such lengths to fake a teapot?
I’ve included some photos. As you can see - the craftsmanship does seem a bit odd. The pot is slightly misshapen and the lid is a little messy. The calligraphy also seems unabashedly simple.
Please help me figure out what’s going on with this pot and if it’s real or fake. Many thanks to you all!