Yixing

[pantry]

Every Yixing studio offers Be Spoke teapots, where you can choose the shape, the clay, the size, the firing temp, the type of firing, and how many times you wanna fire.

Usually the custom / be spoke order is the "top shelf" product of a studio, so you get their best clays made by their best artists.

Of course all this comes at huge price.

Is the be spoke clay from Yinchen you're referring to what they call Ming Guo Lv?

[Bok]

An old tea jar. It has some firing flaws, but they seem common. The same jar was sold on eBay lately for about 100 bucks (I don't think the vase other jar is worth much). However, I am not sure if I will keep it.

https://www.ebay.de/itm/274316535929

From the outside looks, this could be something... not bad

[Mark-S]

@Bok
Thanks What do you think... could I boil this jar with Sodium Percarbonate to clean it, or could it crack because of the hairline cracks from firing? (I won't blame you for a wrong answer )

[alejandro2high]

@Bok I do believe that it's just a semantic difference in regards to the word oily. I used it because that's the word they used to describe it, but it was probably done so using a translator. Its not actually oily, it's just the word used to describe the aesthetic difference between Zhuni mined recently and Zhuni mined some time ago. The Zhuni pot I had that was made of Lao Zhuni was from clay that was mined in 1990, prepared, and then stored.

Below are two pieces one is aged and one isn't. Both fully hand made.

[Bok]

@alejandro2high Got it, thanks for clarifying!

[alejandro2high]

@Chris

This is an old picture, but 5 of these pots are from Yinchen Teapot. The top two and the Duan Ni Shi Piao are not from them.

[Mark-S]

@alejandro2high
The pot with the painting is nice.

[alejandro2high]

alejandro2high
The pot with the painting is nice.

Thanks! I was lucky enough to be able to buy it before it was snatched up.

[Chris]

Thanks for sharing, @alejandro2high! Do you have a favorite of your Yinchen pots? What types of filters do they have, or does it vary?

[Mark-S]

Since I have got nothing else to do right now, I am posting another antique teapot I recently bought for little money (about $22 including shipping ). It's a very beautiful pot in my opinion with many details.

The lid is a bit damaged. Maybe I will get it repaired some day. I think it could be worth it.

I searched for similar teapots and found these three:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/124132366242 (sold for $660, dated 19th century)

https://www.ebay.com/itm/293531265997 (sold for something near $1500, I guess, dated c. 1780)

http://blog.andrewbaseman.com/?p=107 (dated c. 1750)

[Bok]

@Mark-S I'd give it a good clean and see how the clay looks underneath. Seems like some sort of Export model (if authentic). The second one which went for 1500 seems a bit odd.

[Mark-S]

Mark-S I'd give it a good clean and see how the clay looks underneath. Seems like some sort of Export model (if authentic). The second one which went for 1500 seems a bit odd.

I'll do that, but first I let the teapot sit in filtered water for a week or so. This one also has a hairline crack. Hopefully, it won't get bigger by boiling the teapot.

[Mark-S]

Interesting...

https://www.umiteasets.com/blog/inscrip ... eriod.html

https://www.christies.com/lotfinder/Lot ... tails.aspx

https://www.trocadero.com/stores/paha/i ... anlong-18C

[Bok]

https://www.christies.com/lotfinder/Lot ... tails.aspx

https://www.trocadero.com/stores/paha/i ... anlong-18C

Indeed. Compare yours closely to the last two links, and see where and if they diverge.

[alejandro2high]

@Chris They offer all three common spout outlets: single, multiple, and ball filter.

I think this is my favorite teapot. Its the first one I bought and I call it "The OG." Its a Zini Qin Quan that I use for Shu. It makes great tea and I consider it to be perfectly made. The lid fits impeccably, and it feels perfectly balanced. It's 120mL I'm size.

Also pictured is a flat Shui Ping that was 80mL and perfect for Yan Cha. Sadly, it shattered a couple of weeks ago. I used this one the most and it quickly grew to be a favorite as well. I miss it. Maybe one day I'll repair it with kintsugi.