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。

 

 

Cyber Museum

Over the span of 30 years, I have collected quite a number of Yixing teapots and other artifacts. As I know there are people in the world who share my passion for the Zisha wares, not because they are good for brewing tea, but because these Yixing teapots have a culture in their own right. From collecting the teapots, besides admiring their aesthetic forms, one can also study and appreciate art; the creative designs and artistic thinking that the potters possess in deriving at their masterpieces of artwork. Hence, I set up this museum in cyber place to showcase my teapot collection and share some of the rare and prize pieces of Yixing artifacts in my collection.

When I acquire teapots, I look for three types of teapots that interest me. First, the antique teapots of the past; second, the not-so-old teapots that were made in the 60s to 80s; and third, teapots made by known potters (especially craftsmasters and senior craftsmasters' work). In buying teapots, one has to be extra careful not to buy any fake ones or one that is artificially tampered to make it looked old.

I was fortunate in a way as I started collecting teapots in the late 1980s where the market was not yet saturated with fakes and imitates. Some of the craftsmasters had not yet become famous, mostly were still apprentices or trainees and their teapots were very affordable. I remembered during one teapot exhibition, the organisers brought in Gu Zingzhou's teapot which was selling at $20000. Everybody who went to the exhibition was amazed at such high price for a teapot to brew tea. But by today's standard, Gu's teapot can easily fetch millions of dollars. Other craftsmasters' pots were selling in the region of thousands of dollars. Being a beginner, I would only eye for pots that cost below a thousand dollar. Then there was the joy of treasure hunting in the open market where teapots made by known potters were selling at far below market rate. In those days, you won't be surprise to see someone using a magnifying glass to examine the potter's name engraved at the bottom of the teapot when he was scrutinising all the teapots on display in the shop. I did the same thing and was able to uncover some hidden gem. This is called 'treasure hunting' and the joy was beyond description when one finds  treasure among the trash.

With the people becoming more affluent, collecting zisha wares has become a popular international hobby/past-time (or investment), the market is full of fakes and imitates as unscrupulous businessmen capitalised on this craze and attempt to make quick money by introducing a lot of fakes in the market. Be careful if you are buying teapots for investment. Good and famous teapots won't come cheap by today's standard.

I have started a cyber museum where no entrance fees is collected. If you like to view my collection, please go to my cyber museum at alansmuseum.blogspot.sg. I will continue to post the teapots in my collection whenever I am free.

One of the postings in my cyber museum

Founding Father of Yixing Pottery

Do you know who is the founding father of Yixing wares? Who is the person that got the Yixing art of teapot making started?

It was recorded that broken pieces of pottery work were found in Yixing during ancient times. But only during the early Ming dynasty that the art of teapot making using the purple clay of Yixing was recorded in history. Prior to the first ever recorded piece of Yixing teapot (see 2nd picture), it was told a story that everyone in Yixing is probably very familiar.  Legend has it that many years ago in Ting Shu, a town in Yixing, one day a monk appeared from nowhere and uttered some words while running through the streets of the town. Villagers heard him shouting "fortune clay for sale, the poor is not buying, what about the rich?". Nobody understood what he meant and the villagers called him the mad monk. Some old villagers followed him as he ran towards a valley in a mountain and suddenly vanished in thin air. The villagers were then astonished to find the place full of clay of a variety colour, from red, yellow, green, brown to purple. The villagers then took some clay home and found that the clay was indeed very ideal for pottery work. After the potteries were hardened and fired, beautiful colour and texture would appear on the potteries.

Early pottery work of Yixing

The art of teapot making using Yixing clay was only recorded during the Ming Dynasty under the reign of Zhend De, sometime around the 1400s. This happened in a temple called Jin Sha (literally means golden sand) where there was a monk who was very skillful in the art of teapot making. He was using the purple clay from Yixing to make teapots for his own use. It was recorded that a scholar went to stay in the temple, probably to study and prepare for the imperial exam. He brought along with him a servant named Gong Chun who would assist him in his studies. One day, Gong Chun, while hiding behind a tree, saw the monk making teapot using a type of clay. On many occasions, he would hide himself and secretly watch the monk making teapots. On one occasion, the monk left after shaping the teapot. Gong Chun went over and retrieved some remnants of clay left behind by the monk. He began to make teapot using his bare hand (as he had no tools). As he was beside a very old gingko tree, he modelled the teapot following the patterns on the bark of the tree. He used his fingers to press on the clay to achieve the irregular finishing of the patterns on the gingko tree. Later when the monk discovered that Gong Chun had the skills and ability to make teapot, he than took Gong Chun as his disciple and taught him  all his skills. Gong Chun's master was also amazed at his skills and instructed Gong Chun to make teapots for him and his fellow scholar friends. The master would then help Gong Chun to inscribe his name on the teapots. As tea drinking was a fashion among the rich and famous, Gong Chun became an instant success and his teapots were in great demand by all walks of life. Today Gong Chun's teapots were very rare and some of Gong's teapots discovered were actually imitates by his disciples. Gong Chun had three disciples who were also very skillful in the art of teapot making and their teapots were on display in many museums in China as well museums overseas.


Gong Chun by Grand Master Xu



Gong's teapot as discovered by Chu



In 1924, a man by the name of Chu, while roaming the antique (flea) market in Suchou, discovered a teapot (without cover) with the inscription of Gong Chun behind. As he heard something regarding Gong Chun, he quickly bought the teapot from the owner. The discovery of Gong Chun's teapot created a stir in the world of antiques. Immediately he approached a famous potter at that time and had the cover made to fit the teapot. It was recorded that the British Museum had made an offer of 20000 pounds to acquire the teapot but Chu refused to part with it. It was indeed an honour for any museum to have this teapot as the Gong Chun's teapot was  regarded as the world's first ever recorded piece made. Later a renowned artist, a friend of Chu, told him that the cover did not match the pattern of the teapot. So Chu then commissioned another famous potter to have the cover made to match the body of the teapot. Chu in his later years, donated the Gong Chun's teapot to China's national museum as he reckoned this piece of work is a national treasure. The Gong Chun's teapot has now become a classic shape that a lot of potters (young or experienced) will imitate and make it as a form of training.

Cowboy teapot

Wood Bundle

World's most expensive teapot

In 2011, a set of Yixing teapot with 5 cups and saucers was auctioned for a record 17.82 millions yuan in a Chinese auction house (read news in Chinese below). This is the world's most expensive teapot and cups. This record price for a teapot set was indeed a big surprise to many as only imperial ceramics and rare paintings could fetch such prices in auctions. The local press even reported that with over 17 million, one can buy a good bungalow in a big city, yet there were people who traded a bungalow for 11  pieces of pottery work. What made the news even more astonishing is that it came at a time where prices of Yixing wares were heading south with bad news of poison clay used in the industry, forgery and fake teapots, depletion of good clay and black market manipulation. The whole pottery industry looked set to collapse as local TV stations and press reported daily cases where chemicals were used to brighten up the fake clay used in the industry, forgery in the names of potters appeared on the pots and wide spread use of hired hand to fake masters' work. The reputation of Yixing wares was so badly tarnished that customers and investors stay clear of Yixing wares. However, the record-breaking news of this Yixing teapot with cups brought back life and glamour to the pottery industry in Yixing. People begin to realise that only good and genuine Yixing wares will stand the test of time and their values can only appreciate with time.


The world's most expensive teapot and cups

This is no ordinary teapot and the potter is no ordinary person either. In fact the potter is the first person in Yixing to be awarded the highest title in the trade, National Grand Master in Yixing pottery. He was the legendary Gu Zingzhou, the master of all masters. The shape of the teapot was conceptualised many years ago when a certain professor from a university met up with Gu in the Yixing factory. After many years of modification and alteration, the teapot design was finally firmed up to take the present form. This teapot set was actually kept as a display set in the factory. It was auctioned off as the factory was in need of hard cash for upgrading and renovation work. Since then there were no less than 9 pieces of Gu's works auctioned for over 10 millions yuan each. If you visit China these days, the tour guides often ask you if you ever possess a Gu's teapot. If you have a Gu's teapot, most likely it will worth millions in today's market. But don't be carried away, most of the teapots that bear Gu's name on them are not genuine, they are fakes. With such high value on his works, there will definitely be unscrupulous businessmen or potters who want to get rich fast by imitating  the master's work. So beware of fake Gu Zingzhou teapots, they will damage your finances. 



Gu Zingzhou and his monk's hat

Another similar pot auctioned for over 8 millions

Gu Zingzhou at work

Gu's pot for 8.28 millions

Gu's pot auctioned for 14.9 millions in 2013

Record-breaking news in Chinese

1782.5万元！这是紫砂壶拍卖的最新世界纪录，就在刚刚结束的北京保利2011秋季拍卖会上，由顾景舟提璧组壶(共计十一件)创造。顾景舟的提璧组壶(共11件)以1782.5万元的价格拔得“中国当代高端工艺品紫砂壶专场”的头筹。这组提璧组壶原为宜兴紫砂博物馆收藏。顾景舟通自己的制作将紫砂润如珠、温如玉的特征淋漓尽致地表现出来。

在今年的秋季拍卖会上，各艺术品拍卖公司纷纷推出紫砂壶拍卖专场。看似热闹的市场里面，也不是所有的紫砂壶都成交，总的来说，老紫砂壶无论是成交价格还是成交率都要强于当代紫砂壶。

顾景舟原名景洲，江苏宜兴川埠上袁村人，生前为中国工艺美术大师，紫砂界尊称为当代“壶艺泰斗”。(山日)

Forms of Yixing Pottery Pt 3

Purple clay wares of Yixing have a variety of forms where aesthetic effects are achieved by the inherent form and structure of the vessels. Through a long period of development, Yixing potters have successfully created a wide variety of distinctive forms to showcase their creativity and professionalism in the art of teapot making. The forms are basically derived from nature, geometric shapes, natural objects and bronze artifacts.

Forms closely modelled on natural objects refer to those pieces which are copied directly from plants such as melons, pumpkins, fruits and nuts, or from animated objects such as fish and insects. These forms are further embellished with incised or carved details to enhance the illusion of reality. The aim is to achieved absolute or near absolute likeness to the objects they copied. Such a degree of life-likeness is possible because the potter has at his disposal a wide range of colours of Yixing clay, the term purple clay connotes many shades of red, brown, reddish brown, yellow, green and blue. From these colours, the potter can choose one that approximates most closely to the real object he intends to copy. It is no wonder that many examples of this category of Yixing ware are a tour de force of naturalism.

Squirrel on wallnut

Frog on lotus

Fish turning to dragon

Bamboo shape

Squirrels and grapes

World first ever Yixing Pot

 

Forms of Yixing Pottery Pt 2

Purple clay wares of Yixing belong to unglazed ceramics where aesthetic effects are achieved by the inherent form and structure of the vessels. Through a long period of development, Yixing potters have successfully created a wide variety of distinctive forms, the design of which embody many aesthetic concepts. The forms are basically derived from nature, geometric shapes, natural objects and bronze artifacts.

Geometric forms refer to those vessels which are of basic geometric shapes, embellished with naturalistically modelled appendages (spout, handle, cover and knob) or ornamented with simple naturalistic or geometric motifs. This category of decorated ware retains its essentially geometric character when viewed from above or from the side.

There are many designs of teapots modelled on geometric shapes. Some characteristic shapes include square, round, triangular, globular, oblong, trapezium and hexagonal. Teapots of theses designs give people a sense of harmony and regularity, a sense of perfection where the outlines of the pot blend in perfect harmony.

The globular shaped teapot had won an award in international expo held in Panama in the past. The square teapots provide ample space for artists and poets to leave behind their works of art when their works are engraved on the teapots. Trapezium shaped teapot resembles an ancient bell while round shaped pot is especially pleasing to the eyes.

Nature endows decorated Yixing ware with an incomparably rich repertoire of forms. In addition, decorated ware has had in its service a steady procession of fine potters from the very beginning of its history, potters who not only raised technical standards but also made many outstanding stylistic contributions. Given such a splendid tradition, it would be possible for decorated ware to maintain its unique position in the general context of Yixing ware and to sustain its long standing trend of development and innovation.

Stamps commemorating Yixing Teapots



 

A 19th century square pot

A hexagonal shaped teapot

A round teapot that appeal to users

A globular shaped teapot

 

Trapezium shaped teapot

Another geometric form

A segmented shape

Round teapot with engravings

Forms in Yixing Pottery

Purple clay wares of Yixing belong to unglazed ceramics. Aesthetic effects are achieved by the inherent form and structure of the vessels, not by finely painted decorative designs and glaze colours found in traditional ceramics. Through a long period of development, Yixing potters have successfully created a wide variety of distinctive forms, the design of which embody many aesthetic concepts.

In the long history of Yixing wares, the first piece recorded in texts is a teapot by Gong Chun, a servant who learnt the art of making teapots from a monk while accompanying his master when he resided in a temple. This happened during the Ming dynasty under the reign of Zheng De, around 1400s. Modelled entirely by hand, the teapot made by Gong Chun simulates the form of a bark of an old ginkgo tree, with the sprout and handle rendered as branches growing naturally from the body of the pot. The surface of the teapot is not smooth, but depressed here and there with the thumb to convey the rough texture of the bark. The effect is one of simplicity and refinement. The teapot is at once an allusion to the wonder of nature and an affirmation of the charm of a handmade object. Many praises have been heaped on this teapot by connoisseurs of the past.


Shapes created by Gong Chun

Gong Chun's pot

The first ever recorded teapot by Gong Chun is a classic form of teapot shape derived from nature. This is known as Hua Huo or decorated ware. Decorated ware can be classified into the following categories: 1) forms derived from nature, 2) forms derived from geometry, 3) forms closely modelled on natural objects, and 4) forms resembling bronze ware, jades and articles used in daily life.

Forms derived from nature refer to those which are inspired by things in the vegetable kingdom such as pine, fruits, bamboo, nuts, etc; and those in the animal kingdom such as birds, insects, fish etc. By observing these things of nature, the potter arrives at an apprehension of their existence in space and transforms his concept into the form of a vessel or object. The manner in which he executes this transformation results in ware of various degree of naturalism.

Shape derived from flower

Nature provides an inexhaustible source of motifs to the Yixing potters. To create the decorated ware, the potter extracts and distills the essence of a plant or anything from nature and, through his creativity, transforms it into a work of art. A successful piece is one that combines aesthetic appeal with practicability and functionality. No matter how attractive is the design, a teapot is meant for brewing tea, so practicability and functionality cannot be ignored. In concrete terms, the potter must pay attention to the teapot's overall effect and the relation of its parts such as the spout, the handle, the cover and the decorations, all of which must blend harmoniously into a unified whole. In this way, a good teapot not only appeal to the user, it can also serve as vessel for tea appreciation.

Shape inspired from dragon



Shape of domestic animal

Teapot with monkeys fooling around

Fruits and nuts of daily life