Water chestnuts

The water chestnut is actually not a nut at all, but an aquatic vegetable that grows in marshes, underwater in the mud. Water chestnuts have a crisp white flesh and can be eaten raw, slightly boiled, or grilled, and are often pickled or tinned. They are a popular ingredient in Chinese dishes.  They are unusual among vegetables for remaining crisp even after being cooked or canned, because their cell walls are cross-linked and strengthened by certain phenolic compounds. The corms are rich in carbohydrates (about 90 percent by dry weight), especially starch (about 60 percent by dry weight), and are also a good source of dietary fibre, potassium, copper, and manganese.

Water chestnuts

Raw water chestnuts are slightly sweet and very crunchy. Boiled water chestnuts have a firm and slightly crunchy texture, with a flavor that is very mild and slightly nutty, so it can be easily overpowered by any seasonings or sauces with which the water chestnut is served or cooked. Water chestnuts are often combined with bamboo shoots, coriander, ginger, sesame oil, and snow peas. They are often used in pasta or rice dishes.

Teapots having a water chestnut design is not uncommon in Yixing. The renown female potter of Yixing by the name of Ziang Rong 蒋蓉 had created a teapot modelled on a chestnut and received recognition for her creativity and skills in teapot making. Many other potters have since imitated that design for years.
 

Chestnut teapot made by Zhang Jiangzhong 张建中

Water chestnut

蒋蓉外甥及徒弟张建中老师，一把非常高档的壶品名：荸荠壶 ：张建中*蒋蓉外甥及徒弟 底款：张建中制

The purple mangosteen

The purple mangosteen is a tropical evergreen tree believed to have originated in the Sunda Islands and Indonesia. It grows mainly in Southeast Asia, and it also grows in tropical South American countries such as Colombia and in India, where the tree has been introduced. The tree grows from 6 to 25 m (20–82 ft) tall. The fruit of the mangosteen is sweet and tangy, juicy, and somewhat fibrous, with an inedible, deep reddish-purple coloured rind (exocarp) when ripe. In each fruit, the fragrant edible flesh that surrounds each seed is botanically endocarp, i.e., the inner layer of the ovary.

The juvenile mangosteen fruit, first appears as pale green or almost white in the shade of the canopy. As the fruit enlarges over the next two to three months, the exocarp colour deepens to darker green. During this period, the fruit increases in size until its exocarp is 6–8 centimetres (2.4–3.1 in) in outside diameter, remaining hard until a final, abrupt ripening stage.

The subsurface chemistry of the mangosteen exocarp comprises an array of polyphenols, including xanthones and tannins that assure astringency which discourages infestation by insects, fungi, plant viruses, bacteria and animal predation while the fruit is immature. Colour changes and softening of the exocarp are natural processes of ripening that indicates the fruit can be eaten and the seeds have finished developing.

The edible endocarp of the mangosteen is botanically defined as an aril with the same shape and size as a tangerine 4–6 centimetres in diameter, but is white. The circle of wedge-shaped arils contains 4–8, rarely 9 segments, the larger ones harbouring apomictic seeds that are unpalatable unless roasted.
Often described as a subtle delicacy, the arils bear an exceptionally mild aroma, quantitatively having about 1/400th of the chemical constituents of fragrant fruits, explaining its relative mildness.


The Queen of fruits, mangosten



 

The inside of mangosteen

The fruit mangosteen is seldom appeared in Yixing teapot design. The reason could be that this fruit is not popular in China and many potters have no idea how the teapot will look like when crafted into the shape of a mangosteen. As you know, most potters would rather like to copy existing teapot design or modify somebody's design.

The King of fruits, Durian

However, there is a potter by the name of Zhou Juefang (周菊芳), a student of Prof Pan, created her very own mangosteen teapot. The teapot looks very cute and unique. Instead of the traditional knob on the lid, a stalk with some petals sit on top of the lid. This design of the lid will immediately remind people that the fruit is a mangosteen. For people who live in this part of the world where mangosteens are aplenty, it is a nostalgic experience to have a mangosteen teapot to brew tea. Interestingly, people here also like another tropical fruit called durian locally. Durian fruits which have a pungent smell (to some people) are considered the King of fruits here. Then mangosteen fruits which have a subtle taste and mild fragrance are considered the queen of fruits. Durians are by nature fruits that can
cause heatiness but mangosteens on the other hand have cooling effects. So these two fruits can really compliment each other.

Mangosteen teapots by Zhou Juefang
周菊芳
性别：女
证书编号：320223670816158
类别:工艺美术师

 

The pumpkins

A pumpkin is a gourd-like squash native to North America. It typically has a thick, orange or yellow shell, creased from the stem to the bottom, containing the seeds and pulp. Pumpkins are widely grown for commercial use, and are used both in food and recreation.

 

Pumpkins generally weigh 9–18 lbs (4–8 kg) with the largest (of the species C. maxima) capable of reaching a weight of over 75 lbs (34 kg). The pumpkin varies greatly in shape, ranging from oblate to oblong. The rind is smooth and usually lightly ribbed. Although pumpkins are usually orange or yellow, some fruits are dark green, pale green, orange-yellow, white, red and gray.

Pumpkins are very versatile in their uses for cooking. Most parts of the pumpkin are edible, including the fleshy shell, the seeds, the leaves, and even the flowers. In the United States and Canada, pumpkin is a popular Halloween and Thanksgiving staple. Homemade pumpkin purée can serve the same purpose.

When ripe, the pumpkin can be boiled, baked, steamed, or roasted. In its native North America, it is a very important, traditional part of the autumn harvest, eaten mashed and making its way into soups and purees. Often, it is made into pie, various kinds of which are a traditional staple of the Canadian and American Thanksgiving holidays. In Canada, Mexico, the United States, Europe and China, the seeds are often roasted and eaten as a snack.

Prof Pan's brown pumpkin set
 

Yixing potters, past and present, have created many teapot designs based on pumpkin. This shows the popularity of pumpkin among the potters to put some artistic forms  of pumpkin in the teapots they made. Of all the pumpkin teapots I have seen, I particularly like the one created by Prof Pan Chunfang of the Nanjing Academy of Art. Unlike other potters who like to make the pumpkin teapots with  very regular segments and a smooth texture, Prof Pan created a pumpkin teapot which is in a way distorted in shape and the texture of the skin is rather rough. This truly reflects pumpkin as it appears in its natural form. He also created four cups that come with the teapot and these cups are also irregular in shape with a rough texture. The pumpkin teapots set thus becomes Prof Pan's masterpieces and had won him international acclaim. He made the teapots using the finest of Yixing zisha and the teapot comes in two colours, brown and red zisha. If you take a closer look at the teapot, you would admire Prof Pan's talent, creativity and mastery of teapot making skills. No wonder he was seconded to the Nanjing Academy of Art to be a professor running design and art courses to craftsmen who want to upgrade their skills and innovation in teapot designs.

Prof Pan's red pumpkin set



Traditional pumpkin teapot

 
 

   

Prof Pan's exhibition flyer

The form, spirit and character of Yixing teapot Pt2

The art of producing zisha tea wares developed as the result of the cumulative experience of generations of potters and folk craftsmen. It has been an evolutionary process based on the characteristics of the purple clay and involving the continual refinement of traditional techniques.

In the previous posting, I mentioned that the renowned potter Gu Zingzhou, through continual research and and striving for refinement over the past half century, had concluded that three qualities are essential for creative endeavour in teapot making. They are form, spirit and character. I also discussed the various aspects of form, spirit and character that made the Yixing tea wares the daily utensils that combined functionality and artistic appeal to the users.

Art in itself is feeling and affection. However, even the strongest feeling has to remain numb without the knowledge of shapes, lines, volume and ratio and the solid training of pottery skills. A perfect work in itself is filled with a strong desire to be expressive and to affect people. Lines and surfaces are nothing else but signs of the inner truth. Our eyes penetrate the surface and reach to the heart. When we express a form image, we enrich it with our latent character.

If a new teapot possesses and harmonises the qualities of form, spirit and character, then it can be called a good piece of work. However, this is not easy to achieve. It requires solid basic skills, a rich experience in life, and well disciplined techniques. The potter has to understand and master clay material, techniques of shaping, firing, and a series of complicated production processes. In short, the art has to be precise, rustic, frank and has to express one's own feelings. To possess the qualities of form, spirit and character in a teapot, one's work needs to manifest a rhythmic vitality, demonstrating a powerful artistic effect.


Large teapot by Shao Dahen

 

An Artistic creation

Elegantly designed teapot

The form, spirit and character of Yixing teapot Pt 1

Recent years have witnessed a revival of the purple clay (zisha) tea wares of Yixing. Old masters have produced new creations while middle-aged craftsmasters have inherited the tradition and are now excelling in different directions. A new generation of young masters has rapidly developed and taken its place in competition for excellence. The art of Yixing pottery is now experiencing an unprecedented prosperity.In this posting I will discuss briefly the creative aspects of the art of teapot making.

The art of producing zisha tea wares developed as the result of the cumulative experience of generations of potters and folk craftsmen. It has been an evolutionary process based on the characteristics of the purple clay and involving the continual refinement of traditional techniques.

Through continual research and and striving for refinement over the past half century, the renowned potter Gu Zingzhou had concluded that three qualities are essential for creative endeavour in teapot making. They are form, spirit and character.

The first quality form means the image which depends on depth and dexterity of form building as well as individual form design. The arrangement of large surface, i.e, the teapot body, must be clear and precise. The emphasis of each part, such as sprout, handle, mouth, base, foot, lid and knob must be clear. The direction of each component, from point to line to surface, must be clearly marked. The creation and development of each part, its traditions, its prominence, its metamorphosis and its contrasts must be well defined o obtain the depth of form styling. The form quality of a work of a work emerges with the satisfactory treatment of these points, lines and surfaces.

The second quality spirit is the "feeling" transmitted through the from image of the teapot. When designing teapots one should  not limit oneself only to the surface. One should devote attention to the three dimensional volume. All life originates from a centre growing from inside to outside areas. The seed germinates, grows, and blossoms into colour. One has to imagine that the teapot shape is facing you, addressing you and expressing itself to you. This kind of form has a strong latent energy and this kind of work has life and spirit.

The third quality character is the quality of beauty contained in the form. Purple clay teapots are utensils of art and craft. Not only are they utensils for daily use, they are also items of decorative art, possessing an art quality. The products have to be beautiful. As daily utensils, they have to combine aesthetic as well as practical qualities. They should be decorative as well as practical in life. They are convenient to use as well as satisfying to appreciate. Their beauty can be felt in the routine of normal use. This is beauty in character, a healthy beauty, not a diseased quality.

The three qualities demonstrated in the work here

Another example of perfection in teapot design

The good quality work requires creativity and talent

Teapot exchange for a shop house

This is latest news from China reporting how a man paid 1500 yuans for a teapot in a local auction house and later somebody used a shop house to exchange for his teapot. It sounds a bit ridiculous. isn't it.

Well this happened in Hunan. In a news article released in the press on the 1st of August 2013, a collector by the name Kang Zihua in Hunan noticed that a teapot to be auctioned in a local auction house resembled one made by the legendary Gu Zingzhou. This is the classic monk's hat design, a teapot frequently made by Gu as it is his favourite teapot (incidentally the design was created by Si Dabin, Gongchun's student during the Ming dynasty).  He has previously heard how a Gu's pot could be auctioned for millions of dollars in major auction houses in Beijing. He went to take a look at the teapot during the pre-auction viewing. Although he could not understand what was written at the bottom of the teapot, he noticed the word Gu Zingzhou engraved at the inside of the cover of the teapot. The ausction price began at 1500 yuans. Immediately he told himself that he wanted this teapot.

During the auction day, nobody paid any attention to this teapot. At the beginning price of 1500 yuans, no one seemed to be interested in the teapot. So Kang sent in his bid and eventually got the teapot for a mere 1500 yuans. He took the teapot back to his hotel and examined it with his friends. They were all delighted to find that it is the real teapot made by Gu. They confirmed that the engraving at the bottom was actually Gu's style of putting his stamp on the teapot. It simply meant that he made the teapot for his own enjoyment for a lifetime.

Then a developer got the news and came to have a look at Gu's teapot. He liked it so much that he immediately offered Kang a unit of his development, a shop house with 200 square meter shop space. It was reported that they had prepared the legal documents to sign for this exchange, a teapot for a shop house. Well, if the teapot is Gu Zingzhou's genuine work, the exchange seemed logical as Gu's teapots are known to be hot items in auction houses. The highe price ever reached in auction was 17.8 millions yuans for a set of teapots with 5 cups and saucers in 2011. This year another Gu's teapot was auctioned for over 14 millions yuans.

Gu's Monk's Hat, one of his favourite shapes

Below is the news in mandarin

“壶艺泰斗”顾景舟创作的这把紫砂壶，在观贞拍拍的周末网络竞价会上，续写了现实版的“别针换别墅”传奇，成为湖南收臧界的佳话。红网长沙8月1日讯（记者 汤红辉 通讯员 唐雯 实习生 吴小娟）湖南的收臧家们做梦也没想到，传说中的“别针换别墅”故事，就在自己身边发生了。

　在一场艺术品网络竞价会上，湖南网友“湘渝168”以起拍价1500元的价格拍到紫砂壶一把，后被认定为“壶艺泰斗”顾景舟的作品。该壶旋即被当地一名房地产老板看中，并愿以一套300平米的门面与其交换。

　　今日，这一幸运网友在接受电话采访时表示，最终房地产商以一套地段较好，近200平米的门面的代价获得此壶，“我们已经签订了交换协议。”

康芝华介绍，每周他都会收到快递公司寄送的观贞拍拍网周末竞价会的图录。观贞拍拍是长沙本土的一个艺术品网络交易平台，结合现场预展和网络竞价，每周举行一场拍卖，每场700余件拍品，走大众收藏的路线，很多拍品都是无底价起拍，所以“每期都是随便翻翻图录，很少有拍品能入法眼。”

　　今年5月初，观贞拍拍竞价会图录上的一把紫砂壶，吸引了他的目光，觉得特别眼熟。该壶与北京去年的一场秋季拍卖会上看到的顾景舟作品很像。在那次拍卖会上，“壶艺泰斗”顾景舟的紫砂壶以600万成交。而

 

这个紫砂壶， 作为一名老收藏家，康芝华也曾听说过一些“捡漏”的故事，决定抱着试试看的心态，去看看预展。

5月11日，他第一次来到了位于长沙市五一大道省文物总店七楼的观贞拍拍观看预展。取出这把紫砂壶细细一观摩。“觉得该壶造型古朴典雅，线条和谐流畅，整体端庄大气，有顾景舟之风。而壶底部有一款，是一个篆书印，没有认出是什字。再打开壶盖，发现里面还有一个方章，为“顾景洲”，也就是顾景舟的本名。”

康芝华心里暗喜，下定决心一定要在第二天的网上拍卖会上，将此壶拿下。第二天，网络竞价会如期举行，421号“紫砂僧帽壶”终于竞价了！康芝华当时不断问周围的人“有没有愿意拍421号的，你们不拍我就拍了”。

“但是当时421号无人问津。”康芝华最终以1500元的起拍价竞拍成功。

回到娄底后，康芝华向圈内好友展示了这个紫砂壶。

在朋友们的共同研究下，底款的阳文篆书印被辨认出来，为“足吾所好玩而老焉”。“顾景舟制壶所用印款较多，其中也有‘足吾所好玩而老焉’一印”。为此，康芝华及其朋友都认为此壶应该就是顾景舟所制。

康芝华有一位姓聂的朋友，是一名房地产商。得到这个消息后，赶来一看，对此壶后爱不释手。找康芝华交涉了几次后，提出愿以手头一套300平米的门面与他交换。

经过多轮协商，最终康芝华在湘潭选择了一个地段更好、位置更佳的将近两百平米的商铺。

康芝华透露，日前双方已经签订了交换协议，但由于行内规矩，其中一些细节问题就不方便详细说出来。