Tian Qing Ni

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mudandleaves
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Sun Oct 13, 2019 4:51 pm

Said to be the finest variety of zini, Tian qing ni 天青泥 has taken on a legendary status for many Yixing Teapot enthusiasts. You can read more about the famous clay in this week's blog entry below:
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https://www.mudandleaves.com/teatime-blog/tian-qing-ni
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Bok
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Sun Oct 13, 2019 8:44 pm

Interesting.

So if I read this right, what makes this clay legendary and sought after is the mere fact that it is extinct, not any especially good clay properties or a beautiful colour (like pig liver Hongni or Zhuni in general)?

When I saw the pictures of the clay in close-up, I realised that I might actually have one teapot made of this clay… until now I thought it to be an unknown Zini-Zisha-Qingshuini blend, quite common that antique pots are made of several ores in unknown proportions. There are probably more kinds of old clays than there are names for it. But looking at those images, it looks very similar to mine (see attached). It has a lovely dark-red-brown colour, which could be described as liver.

Anyways, maybe, maybe not. The pot makes wonderful tea, which is what counts in the end.
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mudandleaves
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Mon Oct 14, 2019 10:36 am

This clay is very rare. Zisha was mined from the Dashuitan area during this period. It has since flooded and mining moved to other areas.

This clay was the most sought-after zisha during a period in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The quality and colour of the fired clay was seen as very beautiful, and it was believed to be the best clay for improving the taste of tea. Of course, I would agree that these qualities are subjective. Some of the best zisha for your tea may not be the rarest or most expensive. It depends on what you judge to be good and what kind of tea you drink.

When judging the authenticity of zisha, an example of the raw unprocessed ore is obviously preferred. This is why the examples of different kinds of ore in museums and trusted collections are so valuable. They can be used to compare to ore more recently mined. It's a lot easier to identify the ore than it is to identify the fired clay. After it has been processed and fired it is much more difficult to say for certain.
carogust
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Tue Oct 15, 2019 6:05 am

I am no yixing expert but that pot in the picture has an interesting color gradient on the spout. I don't think it is lighting as it has that similar gradient on the lettering. Very beautiful piece in general.
The clay picture @Bok posted has something quite similar. Could we get a full pot pic?
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Bok
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Tue Oct 15, 2019 6:26 am

@carogust that is no gradient in the clay, it is the patina and grub of an old uncleaned teapot :) the body is darker from stains and the spout and handle as further extending parts get rubbed off dirt a bit more frequently.

Attached a full image of my pot. A lot depends on the lighting to see aforementioned details. In daylight it has a lovely light brown that tends towards the purplish, with yellow tiny specks.
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Bok
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Tue Oct 15, 2019 6:28 am

Yixing pots are normally fired to an even colour, if not they are so called yaobian, firing defects. I quite like to collect those as they have a bit of character.
carogust
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Tue Oct 15, 2019 11:08 am

Bok wrote:
Tue Oct 15, 2019 6:26 am
carogust that is no gradient in the clay, it is the patina and grub of an old uncleaned teapot :) the body is darker from stains and the spout and handle as further extending parts get rubbed off dirt a bit more frequently.

Attached a full image of my pot. A lot depends on the lighting to see aforementioned details. In daylight it has a lovely light brown that tends towards the purplish, with yellow tiny specks.
Image
Now that you mention, the gradient being just patina does make sense.

I love it when objects have a dynamic texture/color to them (with their appearance changing greatly depending on the environment). Always surprised by this quality and it is something that I appreciate it in pretty much anything. It might be a good visual test of the material as well because it is most dependent on that.
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Youzi
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Thu Oct 17, 2019 3:45 pm

Bok wrote:
Sun Oct 13, 2019 8:44 pm
Interesting.

So if I read this right, what makes this clay legendary and sought after is the mere fact that it is extinct, not any especially good clay properties or a beautiful colour (like pig liver Hongni or Zhuni in general)?

When I saw the pictures of the clay in close-up, I realised that I might actually have one teapot made of this clay… until now I thought it to be an unknown Zini-Zisha-Qingshuini blend, quite common that antique pots are made of several ores in unknown proportions. There are probably more kinds of old clays than there are names for it. But looking at those images, it looks very similar to mine (see attached). It has a lovely dark-red-brown colour, which could be described as liver.

Anyways, maybe, maybe not. The pot makes wonderful tea, which is what counts in the end.
Image
In the Ming and Qing Dynasties most teapots were made of Zini, which is the material which gave Yixing its fame. During those time people were Mining Zini Mainly from the Original "Original Mountain" or also referred to as the Ancient Mine, which is Da Shui Tan (大水潭).
From Da Shui Tan two Zini was distinguished: Tian Qing Ni (天青泥) and Qing Hui Ni (青灰泥)

Among these two Tian Qing Ni was considered the best material, since it's firing range was much wider (1160-1210) and because of the dark brown color and pear skin texture of the teapot. It was usually used by higher level craftsmen and masters, who could afford this clay, since it was rare during those times too.

Qing Hui Ni had a more greyish color after firing and was also considered a great material, and was quite common, having similar effects on tea as TQN. However the Dark Brown, Liver color of TQN with its wider firing range and surface texture was much more preferred by masters, which allowed them to make such amazing teapots as the Sunflower teapot by the most famous female Yixing artist in history, Yang Fengnian (杨凤年) the younger sister of the most revered Master of the Qing dynasty, Yang Pengnian (杨彭年).

Fun fact: During these times, potters who couldn't afford to get TQN of QHN Zini from Da Shui Tan, got their material from Huang Long Shan, which was considered of lesser quality :D

I'd also like to add, just as clarification, that Qing Shui Ni is not considered a variety of Zini, but it refers to Zini clay, which is pure, not mixed with other kinds of Zini or Zisha material.

EDIT: I'd like to add, that the picture from the book is scanned, so the colors shouldn't be used as a reference. In reality the color is much darker brown and purple-ish in the book.
Attachments
TQN passage from the "Standard" - 宜兴紫砂矿料 book
TQN passage from the "Standard" - 宜兴紫砂矿料 book
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Tian Qing Ni teapot made by Yang Fengnian (杨凤年)
Tian Qing Ni teapot made by Yang Fengnian (杨凤年)
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Bok
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Thu Oct 17, 2019 7:20 pm

Nice info, thanks! I find that Zini and all it’s varieties and shades is quite the confusing kind of clay. So many different ones! Add to that the older clays which seem to often have been blends of various sources and it’s a real mess! Fascinating as well, as one can never be quite sure how it will perform :)
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Youzi
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Fri Oct 18, 2019 2:53 pm

Bok wrote:
Thu Oct 17, 2019 7:20 pm
Nice info, thanks! I find that Zini and all it’s varieties and shades is quite the confusing kind of clay. So many different ones! Add to that the older clays which seem to often have been blends of various sources and it’s a real mess! Fascinating as well, as one can never be quite sure how it will perform :)
Don't worry, there are "only" 21 different kinds of Zini mentioned in the Yixing Zisha Mineral book, based on subtype, mine, and depth. With all having a shade of brown/purple after firing, "50 shades of brown". :D :D

Since You are in Taiwan I'd highly recommend getting a copy of the book, it's really cheap, but the information it has is priceless... I'd like to translate it myself, but I lack the knowledge in geology and chemistry and associated English jargon, to do it... :(
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Tue Mar 10, 2020 11:33 am

It's been months since the first test firings of Tian Qing Ni and the studio is now making their first batches of Tian Qing Ni teapots. Check out this week's blog post to see how Tian Qing Ni ore is transformed into clay for making teapots.
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https://www.mudandleaves.com/teatime-bl ... processing
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