Taiwanese pots

User avatar
Bok
Vendor
Posts: 5782
Joined: Wed Oct 04, 2017 8:55 am
Location: Taiwan

Wed Nov 11, 2020 11:32 pm

Bok wrote:
Wed Nov 11, 2020 10:53 pm
pedant wrote:
Wed Nov 11, 2020 10:48 pm
haha bok. do you have a pic of it?
Yes it’s in the “my first teapot thread” :) I’d look it up, but on my phone it’s not so convenient to do at the moment.
Found it! viewtopic.php?f=26&t=1294 First in line.
User avatar
pedant
Admin
Posts: 1516
Joined: Fri Sep 29, 2017 4:35 am
Location: Chicago
Contact:

Thu Nov 12, 2020 5:42 am

nice!

lol, i found that there are videos of the artist (張政鍾 / Zhang Zhengzhong) online:



:mrgreen:

you can see some pots like mine in there. there are more vids, too. i guess he's famous-ish.
User avatar
Bok
Vendor
Posts: 5782
Joined: Wed Oct 04, 2017 8:55 am
Location: Taiwan

Thu Nov 12, 2020 7:46 am

For sure his pots are impeccably done and I think sentimentally about this pot which has been my work- and learn horse for many, many tea sessions... it’s the pot that taught me how to brew tea. Humble as it is compared to what I use now, I’ll always treasure it.
User avatar
wave_code
Posts: 575
Joined: Wed Nov 21, 2018 2:10 pm
Location: Germany

Fri Nov 13, 2020 4:59 am

After doing a bit more digging around I've found a couple more western places that look like they are selling current Dong Feng pots, though of course with a probably excessive mark-up. Nice to see they come in as many crass or dumb shapes and sizes as Yixing does too haha. I saw one that is identical to the one my friend from Taiwan often used for tea sessions I would go to at her studio. Granted I can't say how the tea we had would have tasted in a different pot or a vintage one in comparison, but the tea was always very good, so it worked well enough.

I'm sure Yingge clay has its own behaviors, color ranges, so on like any other. We have so much information and ways of identifying types of Yixing clays and their quality/time period, and Nixing and Jianshui are pretty easy to identify at least as the clay type. What criteria do you tend to use to assess Yingge pot quality (aside from craftsman skill that is).
Chris
Posts: 59
Joined: Sun Aug 12, 2018 1:11 pm
Location: US

Sat Nov 14, 2020 12:00 am

Another Xu Jin Choi pot, ~100 ml and also purchased in Yingge. :) Like @Baisao's pot, it's ultra thin and very precisely made, with a bell-like, metallic ring.

It's wheel thrown, of course, and though the clay superficially resembles zhuni, it reminds me more of Tokoname clay than Yixing. (Though, then again, I've probably never experienced real zhuni!)

To be honest, I've never found a good tea for this pot, though I still sometimes make gaoshan and baozhong in it in the hopes that one will be an obvious match. It doesn't negatively impact them, per se, it just doesn't change them much at all.

But, I still love this pot for its craftsmanship, and as a reminder of my sole trip to Taiwan! I was initially overwhelmed by the apparent split between low-end tourist kitsch and ultra-pricey ceramics in Yingge, and was happy not to leave empty-handed when I found this pot (and a few celadon cups by Lin's Ceramics :)).

Yingge pot 1.jpg
Yingge pot 1.jpg (84.46 KiB) Viewed 8274 times
Yingge pot 2.jpg
Yingge pot 2.jpg (135 KiB) Viewed 8274 times
User avatar
Baisao
Posts: 1397
Joined: Mon Dec 11, 2017 5:17 pm
Location: ATX

Sat Nov 14, 2020 12:22 am

@Chris, that’s a beauty! I really like his work and wish I could get a few more pieces. It’s funny how I could recognize his work even though I can’t read the signatures.

The lack of change to tea is a hallmark of some of these Taiwanese pots. They are fully vitrified.
User avatar
pedant
Admin
Posts: 1516
Joined: Fri Sep 29, 2017 4:35 am
Location: Chicago
Contact:

Sat Nov 14, 2020 2:10 am

nice one, @Chris. cool to see another example from the same artist as @Baisao's.

i really want to go to taiwan again once things settle down!
User avatar
pedant
Admin
Posts: 1516
Joined: Fri Sep 29, 2017 4:35 am
Location: Chicago
Contact:

Sat Nov 14, 2020 2:24 am

wave_code wrote:
Fri Nov 13, 2020 4:59 am
I'm sure Yingge clay has its own behaviors, color ranges, so on like any other. We have so much information and ways of identifying types of Yixing clays and their quality/time period, and Nixing and Jianshui are pretty easy to identify at least as the clay type. What criteria do you tend to use to assess Yingge pot quality (aside from craftsman skill that is).
when i was there 5+ years ago, i saw a pretty diverse range of material, style, and craftsmanship.
i just bought stuff that caught my eye and was within my budget.
almost everything i saw was new to me at the time. i remember being blown away by those driftwood handle pots.

i'd love to go back and browse with new eyes after having been into the teapot collector hobby since then.
some things i haven't seen since. for example, there were these pots that were polished super smooth (after firing?). it made the clay really pop kind of like those dorodango japanese mud balls.
User avatar
LeoFox
Posts: 1777
Joined: Tue Sep 01, 2020 4:01 pm
Location: Washington DC

Sat Nov 14, 2020 11:06 am

Just recieved peter kuo's teapot from @Bok!!

As Bok had said, it is very light! Much lighter than it looks. Walls are thin! Without the lid, this ~150 cc pot only weighs 104 grams

Inside looks shiny almost as if it is glazed but it is not.

I think the outside has some white glaze that pooled on the bottom. There is possibly some trace of the potter's signature but am not sure. Bok, does Peter usually sign his pots?

The volume is around 148 mL. It pours fast: 8s when water is cold; 4.5 s when water is hot. The handle is easy to hold and pour with one hand. Lid is slightly wobbly, but if held against the body while pouring, there is a good seal and almost no dribbling

The box it came in was dented pretty badly by the delivery process but the pot was impeccably packed by Bok so no damage whatsoever to the treasure inside. Very grateful to Bok for making this beauty available.

Edit:
An early post from bok when this pot was new with the original lid:
viewtopic.php?p=1268#p1268
Attachments
This is the pot right after firing. It is a screen shot from peter kuo's Instagram. You can see the original lid here. Also, based on the date of the Instagram post, this was wood fired in october 2017 for multiple  days using natural ash glaze on the outside. It seems many of the pots didnt survive. Also, it seems peter tests the pots with tea afterwards. What a great quality control test!
This is the pot right after firing. It is a screen shot from peter kuo's Instagram. You can see the original lid here. Also, based on the date of the Instagram post, this was wood fired in october 2017 for multiple days using natural ash glaze on the outside. It seems many of the pots didnt survive. Also, it seems peter tests the pots with tea afterwards. What a great quality control test!
SmartSelect_20210101-230736_Instagram.jpg (168.74 KiB) Viewed 7775 times
Inside shot facing spout. Very shiny and slick almost like this is glazed inside. But it is unglazed.
Inside shot facing spout. Very shiny and slick almost like this is glazed inside. But it is unglazed.
20201114_115300.jpg (553.42 KiB) Viewed 8221 times
Outside shot of the spout. Hojo's carbon reduction akitsu sado pot in the background
Outside shot of the spout. Hojo's carbon reduction akitsu sado pot in the background
20201114_114816.jpg (209.19 KiB) Viewed 8221 times
Bottom shot, focused on a loop pattern which is actually the signature.
Bottom shot, focused on a loop pattern which is actually the signature.
20201114_115358.jpg (477.83 KiB) Viewed 8221 times
Side shot
Side shot
20201114_115445.jpg (548.97 KiB) Viewed 8221 times
Bok sent me two lids. The original <br />broke so Peter made another two.
Bok sent me two lids. The original
broke so Peter made another two.
20201114_115556.jpg (511.6 KiB) Viewed 8221 times
Last edited by LeoFox on Sat Jun 05, 2021 5:36 am, edited 9 times in total.
User avatar
Baisao
Posts: 1397
Joined: Mon Dec 11, 2017 5:17 pm
Location: ATX

Sat Nov 14, 2020 11:24 am

@LeoFox, That’s a beautiful glaze!
User avatar
Victoria
Admin
Posts: 3043
Joined: Sat Sep 30, 2017 3:33 pm
Location: Santa Monica, CA
Contact:

Sat Nov 14, 2020 12:36 pm

Yes very nice glaze @LeoFox and interesting that it is thin and very light.
karma
Posts: 160
Joined: Fri Feb 28, 2020 2:14 pm
Location: Texas

Sat Nov 14, 2020 1:58 pm

@LeoFox I love the texture. Reminds me of rainy concrete.
User avatar
LeoFox
Posts: 1777
Joined: Tue Sep 01, 2020 4:01 pm
Location: Washington DC

Sat Nov 14, 2020 4:53 pm

karma wrote:
Sat Nov 14, 2020 1:58 pm
LeoFox I love the texture. Reminds me of rainy concrete.
Yes, from some angles, it reminds me of that too!

Can you also share some pictures of your Song wood fired tea wares? What teas are you pairing them with?
User avatar
Baisao
Posts: 1397
Joined: Mon Dec 11, 2017 5:17 pm
Location: ATX

Sat Nov 14, 2020 5:53 pm

I was finally able to measure the Xu Jin Choi (許進財) teapot with digital calipers and it’s around 1.5mm for the wall. Obviously, it’s even thinner for the spout and lid skirt as those are tapered.
User avatar
Bok
Vendor
Posts: 5782
Joined: Wed Oct 04, 2017 8:55 am
Location: Taiwan

Sat Nov 14, 2020 5:56 pm

@LeoFox glad it arrived safely! Even more so as it pleases you :)

Just to be clear, both lids are replacements, the original broke in a few pieces.

Peter signs his pots, yes. He also splashes some glaze over the outside sometimes in a wabi sabi manner. He’s the one guy I’ve seen in Taiwanese pottery who is maniac about getting his pots as thin as possible, which make them such great tools for tea.
Post Reply