Year of the horse teapot

This year is the year of the horse. To commemorate this year of the horse, teapot master, Xu Sihai, has come up with a teapot design that depicts a picture of the horse with a theme 马到成功. The design of the horse is taken from a famous antique of a horse stepping on the back of a swallow (马踏飞燕).

Xu Sihai 许世海, a native from Shanghai, is a well known teapot collector and also a self-taught teapot maker who learnt art from the famous painter Tang Yun. He was the first to open his own museum in Shanghai to show case his collection of over 2000 pieces of fine teapots. One of the famous teapot in his collection is the King of all teapots, a globular shaped teapot crafted by the legendary Shou Dahen of the Qing dynasty. This teapot is reported to be worth over a hundred million dollars and even with such a high price tag, the owner is not going to sell it.

King of all Teapots

From the China Press:
午马年的马蹄声已经来到，年前由著名壶艺大师许世海设计创作、四海窑制作的紫砂生肖马壶成功问世。此款马年生肖紫砂壶的设计，独具特色，传递了平步青云马到成功的精神。许四海和许泽峰父子俩创意构思了整整六个月。生肖马紫砂壶其特点：图文结合、讲究内涵和品位，壶体气势昂扬、古朴大气，壶嘴为昂首的马头，意在唯马首是瞻也。细细观赏生肖马壶，壶身线条流畅，是一款上虚下实，阴阳相合的一把提梁壶，完全符合中国人的审美口味。提梁式样的壶把，自壶肩而凌空而起，整个壶体显得气宇轩昂，古朴大气。壶身刻有许四海亲笔题字的“马到成功”书法及马踏飞燕的图案。这把紫砂马壶，许四海均采用储备20年的原矿老段紫砂泥，色泽优雅，透气率佳，茶汤顺和平适，适合冲泡各种茶叶。在世博会期间，许四海曾经设计制作过一套 12把，以中文字为主设计的生肖紫砂壶，受到追捧，目前一壶难觅。从2012年起，许四海与其子许泽峰便合作设计，推出了生肖图文壶。

　　紫砂生肖马壶，采用了佛家法器之一的钵盂为壶身，以示光泽，与人为善，壶盖上印有六朵如意祥云图案，取了顺兴风调雨顺之意，寓意吉祥。

　　（图为四海窑紫砂生肖马壶）