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I recently acquired this pot. The seller called it purple clay with yellow sand. I don’t actually know what type of clay it is, or what to pair it with. Can someone help with this?

Inside the lid the maker’s mark reads 陶中 which translates to Tao Zhong in English. I googled the name and Ge Tao Zhong was a somewhat well known artist.

I cannot read the bottom mark, but I was told that it says Yixing China.

Unfortunately this looks like a fake. I suggest to use a gaiwan instead, and switch to a pot once you find a good quality yixing.
To learn to recognize good clay, you can look at the pots on this facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/teapot2/ see which ones are discussed as fakes, and which ones are confirmed authentic. You can get facebook to translate the comments for you if you don't speak Chinese

How do you know it's a fake? I would like to learn.

Shane wrote: ↑

Thu Dec 28, 2017 10:22 pm

How do you know it's a fake? I would like to learn.

Yixing clay does not look like that To learn, you need to see some examples of real and fake pots. The facebook group I linked is a good resource: people post their pots and experts evaluate them, so you can see many examples. It is normal to buy a few tuition pots at the beginning, no worries!

A few things I can say about your pot are: the shine/reflection of the clay is weird for yixing, the iron dots (black dots) are too many, the number and type of yellow dots is wrong (there exist pots with yellow dots, but the dots are fewer and larger, with some irregularity in shape) the bottom mark is pretending to be Factory 1 but F1 never made such pots, the mark under the lid is pretending to be Ge Taozhong but the workmanship is not master level (it's not handmade, might be slip cast or mould made). If there is some yixing clay in it, it was heavily mixed with additives, you never see pots looking like this made with natural clay (i.e. during Qing, ROC, and F1).

I hope this helps! Buying this pot started this conversation, so it was not a waste after all you need to start somewhere to learn

A real yixing pot wether it's old or new should look like unglazed clay. This one has an artificial plastic/resin look to it.

Chadrinkincat wrote: ↑

Fri Dec 29, 2017 12:57 am

A real yixing pot wether it's old or new should look like unglazed clay. This one has an artificial plastic/resin look to it.

What about well-nurtured old pots? They look shiny do they not?
As for new ones that seems to discard a good 80% percent of pots around

steanze wrote: ↑

Thu Dec 28, 2017 11:31 pm

...the shine/reflection of the clay is weird for yixing...

Sorry for bumping in, I just have a question about just that.
A friend just gave this pot as a gift for the holiday. obviously very modern from last years but was wondering about shine/reflection. (he is certainly not an expert but I know he made some research before he bought this.) What do you think?

Bok wrote: ↑

Fri Dec 29, 2017 2:16 am

Chadrinkincat wrote: ↑

Fri Dec 29, 2017 12:57 am

A real yixing pot wether it's old or new should look like unglazed clay. This one has an artificial plastic/resin look to it.

What about well-nurtured old pots? They look shiny do they not?
As for new ones that seems to discard a good 80% percent of pots around

I wasn't referring to any used pots. Old as in F1 era.

Your right new pots aften have a somewhat shiny exterior these days but they shouldn't look like plastic.

ShuShu wrote: ↑

Fri Dec 29, 2017 7:31 am

steanze wrote: ↑

Thu Dec 28, 2017 11:31 pm

...the shine/reflection of the clay is weird for yixing...

Sorry for bumping in, I just have a question about just that.
A friend just gave this pot as a gift for the holiday. obviously very modern from last years but was wondering about shine/reflection. (he is certainly not an expert but I know he made some research before he bought this.) What do you think?

This one looks like normal modern yixing

I took the pictures in a pitch dark room with the flash on. My power was out at the time. That may be why it looks shiny. Nevertheless it is what it is. Anyone else want to chime in? Is there a place that authenticates pots? I was told by the seller that they can send me an authentication certificate. I don't know how trustworthy that would be.

steanze wrote: ↑

Fri Dec 29, 2017 6:33 pm

This one looks like normal modern yixing

How would you compare modern ‘yixing’ clay to contemporary Japanese shudei pots by Jozan etc. and or other European and American artisanal iron rich clays used by well known potters? In my opinion the later are more aesthetically pleasing to the eye

https://www.ebay.ca/itm/Wonderful-Artis ... 1438.l2649

What do you think about this teapot? Mine looks very similar.

ShuShu wrote: ↑

Fri Dec 29, 2017 7:31 am

steanze wrote: ↑

Thu Dec 28, 2017 11:31 pm

...the shine/reflection of the clay is weird for yixing...

Sorry for bumping in, I just have a question about just that.
A friend just gave this pot as a gift for the holiday. obviously very modern from last years but was wondering about shine/reflection. (he is certainly not an expert but I know he made some research before he bought this.) What do you think?


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I second what Steanz said. Semi polished stone look on outside. One of my first pots looks similar. It's the only not vintage pot I still use since it brews nicely. Not that porous and maintains heat well?

Shane wrote: ↑

Fri Dec 29, 2017 8:36 pm

https://www.ebay.ca/itm/Wonderful-Artis ... 1438.l2649

What do you think about this teapot? Mine looks very similar.

also fake

Shane wrote: ↑

Fri Dec 29, 2017 8:01 pm

I took the pictures in a pitch dark room with the flash on. My power was out at the time. That may be why it looks shiny. Nevertheless it is what it is. Anyone else want to chime in? Is there a place that authenticates pots? I was told by the seller that they can send me an authentication certificate. I don't know how trustworthy that would be.

A certificate is not useful, it's easy to fake... maybe other experienced members can chime in. But this one is a clear case. On the spectrum from "obviously fake" to "plausibly fake", it is on the obviously fake end. Even if it were matte, the amount/type of yellow dots would disqualify it. And even if the texture of the clay weren't off, the workmanship rules out it being by a famous craftsman.

I understand this forum is quite new and maybe you don't know me much. But I've seen a pot or two