Yixing

[Bac]

Does it say mengchen mark? Or not?

One reason you are having difficulty getting an answer is that seal script is hard. The way characters are written on seals is not the usual writing. To make things worse, there are multiple possible ways to write the same character in seal script. So even native speakers who can read Chinese often have difficulty deciphering the characters on seals.

My impression is that this seal does not say mengchen, but you will want the opinion of someone with specific expertise on seal script. I don't know if there is someone with that type of expertise on the forum.

I think you are right, i had a native speaker traducing it as meng cheng, but she is no expert in the materia. Also probably she was influenced by me asking.

[OCTO]

Does it say mengchen mark? Or not?

@Bac

It's definitely not Meng Chen.... do you have a photo of the entire pot?

It says [Yixing Jiang An-Qing made 宜兴江案卿制] at the bottom of the pot and [An-Qing 案卿] under the lid.

Cheers!

[friso]

Help from the community... ! I bought this pot a few years ago from Chawang. It is supposed to be a late 90s F2/5 "dark zini". So it is not sold as heini, but the clay is still mush darker than 70s and 80s zini, at least in my experience. I've read that the factories around this time used to add manganese oxide and other compounds to darken the clay. Is there anyway to know if this clay has been altered, other than to test it? Also, could it be harmful?

[Bok]

Help from the community... ! I bought this pot a few years ago from Chawang. It is supposed to be a late 90s F2/5 "dark zini". So it is not sold as heini, but the clay is still mush darker than 70s and 80s zini, at least in my experience. I've read that the factories around this time used to add manganese oxide and other compounds to darken the clay. Is there anyway to know if this clay has been altered, other than to test it? Also, could it be harmful?

It’s pretty safe to assume anything from that period had additives.

Only way to know what’s in it is to get it tested.

[steanze]

It’s pretty safe to assume anything from that period had additives.

Only way to know what’s in it is to get it tested.

+1, post green label it's almost certain that barium was added, and possibly manganese oxide too. That does not necessarily mean that it is harmful to use it.

[OCTO]

It’s pretty safe to assume anything from that period had additives.

Only way to know what’s in it is to get it tested.

+1, post green label it's almost certain that barium was added, and possibly manganese oxide too. That does not necessarily mean that it is harmful to use it.

++1 to both responses from @Bok and @steanze.

I’ve came across F2/F5 pots that churns out very good teapots. Once in a while you will find a gem!

Cheers!

[friso]

All right, thanks people!
I guess then that the only thing that differentiates 90s zini from 90s "heini" is the amount of manganese oxide and other additives that was mixed with the clay ; meaning there are additives anyway. Puts things into perspective... maybe heinis are not so bad after all. And as @OCTO suggests, 90s yixing pots feel like some sort of lottery at this point!

[Youzi]

All right, thanks people!
I guess then that the only thing that differentiates 90s zini from 90s "heini" is the amount of manganese oxide and other additives that was mixed with the clay ; meaning there are additives anyway. Puts things into perspective... maybe heinis are not so bad after all. And as OCTO suggests, 90s yixing pots feel like some sort of lottery at this point!

There isn't really Heini to begin with. The black color is usually achieved by reduction firing a high iron zisha ore, usually some kind of Zini. In the worse case, it's achieved by reduction firing a low iron whatever clay, mixed with manganese oxide to make it actually more black colored.

[Bac]

Does it say mengchen mark? Or not?

@Bac

It's definitely not Meng Chen.... do you have a photo of the entire pot?

It says [Yixing Jiang An-Qing made 宜兴江案卿制] at the bottom of the pot and [An-Qing 案卿] under the lid.

Cheers!

Thanks alot! I was able to find some info, albeit in chinese : http://www.12129.com/1news/show.asp?id=1514
Artis is from late qing era, mine is probably a repro.
Still a pretty well made bamboo motif, and very muting duanni.

[Bac]

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On another note what do you guys think of this pot? Seller claims it to be mid 20Th, prefactory maybe?

[steanze]

On another note what do you guys think of this pot? Seller claims it to be mid 20Th, prefactory maybe?

A very clear modern replica.

[Bok]

On another note what do you guys think of this pot? Seller claims it to be mid 20Th, prefactory maybe?

A very clear modern replica.

+1

[BriarOcelot]

I'm fairly sure this is a modern replica pot - but I'm curious to what the stamped text says on the bottom - anybody willing to translate? It has zero stamps anywhere else.




It makes great tea though.

[OCTO]

I'm fairly sure this is a modern replica pot - but I'm curious to what the stamped text says on the bottom - anybody willing to translate? It has zero stamps anywhere else.

It makes great tea though.

It reads 直上江水流 , 孟臣。[ Zhíshàng jiāngshuǐ liú mèng chén ]. It relates to water flowing from the top of the stream. Here’s a literal translation from Google Translate - “Straight up the river stream , Meng Chen.”

Hope that helps! Cheers!!

[BriarOcelot]

Hope that helps! Cheers!!

It does - thanks Octo, just putting the pot through its paces and it seems to be a good performer.