Of all the Yixing teapots the most common seem to be the medium profile Shuiping with a straight spout, the lower or higher profile seem to be less prevalent.
Is that only my perception or have they really been produced in larger numbers than the rest? Talking of the period until the end of F1.
Admittetly it is a pretty good and functional design, so that may be a reason why there are so many of them. For me as I have said elsewhere, they are kind of the IKEA-mug of Yixing – every (tea-)kitchen has one… which is why I would never want to buy one, too many more interesting shapes out there (I have been gifted some anyways).
On the Shuiping-shape
I consider a well made shuiping a beautiful pot, it doesnt matter how many are there. Simple, functional, and a beautiful shape. And if the clay is of a good quality, there is a lot to appreciate. On the other hand Ikea mugs are just ugly to my eyes. One can have a nice mug in a similar shape, and such mugs existed long time before Ikea did, but at that moment it's no longer an Ikea mug. If Ikea started to make shuipings, they would probably be horrible. Anyways, you are lucky to live in place where every kitchen has a shuiping. 
Shuipings are more common during the late ROC and F1 period, and less common in late Qing and ROC. I can see how you might have seen a lot of shuipings around and you might be a bit tired of the shape.Bok wrote: ↑Wed Mar 21, 2018 1:13 amOf all the Yixing teapots the most common seem to be the medium profile Shuiping with a straight spout, the lower or higher profile seem to be less prevalent.
Is that only my perception or have they really been produced in larger numbers than the rest? Talking of the period until the end of F1.
Admittetly it is a pretty good and functional design, so that may be a reason why there are so many of them. For me as I have said elsewhere, they are kind of the IKEA-mug of Yixing – every (tea-)kitchen has one… which is why I would never want to buy one, too many more interesting shapes out there (I have been gifted some anyways).
I personally like shuipings. First, I like their simplicity: it is difficult to imagine what could be made more essential. Isn't it interesting that even though yixings have been around since the Ming dynasty, it took until the mid-late Qing to see the shuiping shape emerge? Second, I think they are a great shape to learn to detect the nuances of craftmanship. At a first glance, they may look "all the same". However, when we compare carefully a 1960s one from a 70s one, a 1970s 150ml from a 1970s 67 ml, a late ROC from a 60s, one can observe dozens of small differences and one can then learn to look at other pots at that level of nuance too. In the end, some shuipings really are masterpieces in which a great craftsman shines through even such a simple shape. For example, I have seen an eggshell thin 60ml zhuni shuiping attributed to Wang Yinchun or Gu Jingzhou that weights under 39 grams, and the proportions and details are so fine and balanced that even the 1960s F1 shuipings (which are some of the finest coming out of F1) look a bit clumsy by its side. Artists like Wang Yingchun and Gu Jingzhou respected the shuiping shape and made shuipings themselves
Last edited by steanze on Wed Mar 21, 2018 10:56 am, edited 1 time in total.
Just got Dr Lu masterpiece and was pondering the images - I would like to recant my distaste for the classic shuiping and rephrase: I do distaste most modern pieces, but the older ones can be quite beautiful in a subtle way! Amazing how many tiny variations and changes in proportion make all the difference from a dull to an elegant pot!
Funnily I do not like the 40-50ies ones too much, but starting from 60ies they become pretty nice!
For anyone who does not have the book, it is well worth having, even for the non-chinese-literate!
Interesting as well, as before the 60ies there is almost no other shape than the classic one, only later a few more get added. I have another book which covers some of the even earlier periods but not as exhaustive, yet some awe-inspiring pots and clays...
Funnily I do not like the 40-50ies ones too much, but starting from 60ies they become pretty nice!
For anyone who does not have the book, it is well worth having, even for the non-chinese-literate!
Interesting as well, as before the 60ies there is almost no other shape than the classic one, only later a few more get added. I have another book which covers some of the even earlier periods but not as exhaustive, yet some awe-inspiring pots and clays...
And another surprise find in the book: I have found an old friend! I have one shuiping from the in-laws, which I had posted about in the other place a while ago. Community guess was late 70- early 80ies. Turns out it was spot on! There is a pot which looks almost identical just with different seal.
I had thought the handle wrapping was done by the previous owner, turns out that some were sold with it by default! Originally bright red, faded by decades of use and stained with tea. I was wondering how this kind of wrapping was done...
Page 418 for those who have the book.
I had thought the handle wrapping was done by the previous owner, turns out that some were sold with it by default! Originally bright red, faded by decades of use and stained with tea. I was wondering how this kind of wrapping was done...
Page 418 for those who have the book.
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Very nice green label. The ones with the wrap are quite collectible too!
Exactly! I think the shuiping shape is a great case study for seeing that, and then the same eye can actually be applied to other shapes too. The nuances are key.
There are some in late Qing/ROC which are really beautiful. Probably the best ones are from that period. I repost here an image he (Dr. Lv) posted on the Early Teapots group, I think this one is really great:
Last edited by steanze on Sat Apr 14, 2018 9:55 pm, edited 3 times in total.
I think this shape is absolutely amazing...This seems like ROC isn't it steanze?
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Could be, but it is hard to tell from just that one picture. Is it yours? If it belongs to someone else, I don't think it would be polite to discuss the authenticity and period without the permission of the owner.
In terms of aesthetics, it is a nice shape, but I find it a little bit unbalanced (spout a bit long with respect to the elongation of the body, handle a bit short for the length of the spout, and there's a bit of irregularity in the curvature of the handle). The proportions are not as harmonious in my view. Still a fantastic pot if it is ROC though.
Of course. I was only talking esthetically. Bok just said that he doesn't like so much stuff from the 40s-50s so I wanted to bring an example of a shape that is somewhat unusual but very interesting and pretty. I think that the clumsiness of the composition, in fact, makes this pot very unique.steanze wrote: ↑Sat Apr 14, 2018 9:50 pmCould be, but it is hard to tell from just that one picture. Is it yours? If it belongs to someone else, I don't think it would be polite to discuss the authenticity and period without the permission of the owner.
In terms of aesthetics, it is a nice shape, but I find it a little bit unbalanced (spout a bit long with respect to the elongation of the body, handle a bit short for the length of the spout, and there's a bit of irregularity in the curvature of the handle). The proportions are not as harmonious in my view. Still a fantastic pot if it is ROC though.
I think he meant the shuipings specifically
Gu Jingzhou and Wang Yinchun made pots in that period, so yes there are very nice pots in the 40s and 50s. I personally really like some of the puffed lid shuipings from the 40s-50s, all components are a little bit "chubby" in a balanced way: the puffed lid often goes with a puffier body, and thicker handle and spout, so everything is quite harmonious in the end Yes I meant Shuiping! The one Steanze posted is beautiful! Not in the book though if I haven’t overlooked. Most of the ones in Dr Lu’s book though have a bit too short spouts for my liking, something off about the proportion that I prefer in later periods.
I saw that other pot as well (Singaporean shop) and saved it due to its unusual proportions, a bit odd but I somehow like it as well! If I am not wrong it was labelled ROC or earlier. Weird kind of biandeng shape...
I saw that other pot as well (Singaporean shop) and saved it due to its unusual proportions, a bit odd but I somehow like it as well! If I am not wrong it was labelled ROC or earlier. Weird kind of biandeng shape...