Yixing

[Bok]

@Simniak somehow the shiny ness of this pot, plus the lines, make think this is not pure Yixing clay at all... full of additives and the colour is not quite right for real Hongni either. Apple shape is a bit off the classic version but that’s just an indication that it is a later style.

[Simniak]

@Bok So you think I bought a bad teapot? Vendor advertised it like full handmade hong ni made by master

[Bok]

Bok So you think I bought a bad teapot? Vendor advertised it like full handmade hong ni made by master

Look how different and purple-ish the broken parts look, I’d be highly surprised if that is hongni... and that weird discoloured part around the lid hole???

And again Hongni is never ever that shiny naturally, maybe if seasoned.

Fully handmade looks highly doubtful as well, where are the traces of tools from making by hand? Vendors do say a lot of the day’s long...

[Simniak]

@Bok
Thank you for your help, I will be returning it.

[Bok]

Well, don’t quote me on it, definite judgement can only be done on the real object.

Also price is part of the equation. If it wasn’t expensive you couldn’t reasonably expect good quality or master made...

[Mark-S]

@Simniak
The first pictures looked a lot better. That's the problem when you buy teapots online. I would return it too. It does not look good in my opinion. For this money you can find better pots.

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That's an interesting pot I bought from the US. I do not think you find it collectible, but the carvings are quite nice.

[Youzi]

Bok
Thank you for your help, I will be returning it.

The teapot is definitely doesn't look full hand. Probably half hand, mold made.

You can ask the full name of the potter, then check if they are a master or not.

I just wrote a detailed article exactly about this: https://www.teapotandtea.com/official- ... a-artists/

Could you take a closer photo of the broken part, to see the cross section?

[Youzi]

Simniak
The first pictures looked a lot better. That's the problem when you buy teapots online. I would return it too. It does not look good in my opinion. For this money you can find better pots.

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That's an interesting pot I bought from the US. I do not think you find it collectible, but the carvings are quite nice.

I have a feel that this is a good example of a machine made half hand teapot. Those concentric circles throughout the body look really strange to me, however the "workmanship" seems good.

Could you take closer photos of the calligraphy?

[Simniak]

Simniak
The first pictures looked a lot better. That's the problem when you buy teapots online. I would return it too. It does not look good in my opinion. For this money you can find better pots.

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That's an interesting pot I bought from the US. I do not think you find it collectible, but the carvings are quite nice.

I have a feel that this is a good example of a machine made half hand teapot. Those concentric circles throughout the body look really strange to me, however the "workmanship" seems good.

Could you take closer photos of the calligraphy?

I am getting a chaozhou vibe from it because of circles, it looks like it was thrown on wheel

[Youzi]

I am getting a chaozhou vibe from it because of circles, it looks like it was thrown on wheel

Could be just a simple hand thrown fake too, however there's Zhongguo Yixing written on it, so it's not honest about its origin.

[Mark-S]

@Youzi
The seller claimed that Simniak's teapot was made by Fan Lao Shi.

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If you need more pictures let me know.

[Chadrinkincat]

@Simniak
I agree with the others on this red apple pot. Imho it looks like a “run of the mill” modern pot.

[Youzi]

Youzi
The seller claimed that Simniak's teapot was made by Fan Lao Shi.

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If you need more pictures let me know.

I'm pretty sure that Fan Laoshi is Fan 老师。which is teacher, so this name is useless to identify the person. In my article there's a link where you can search for any potter in the official db, to check if they are ranked or not. Hope @Simniak can get the full name, to check it.

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Seems it's "sloppy hand carved" instead of machine laser carving? Not sure which is more preferred. Usually machine laser carving is quite precise, but doesn't have too much depth, and "feels not human"

However that pot is still cool, has a kind of charisma.

[.m.]

Bok So you think I bought a bad teapot? Vendor advertised it like full handmade hong ni made by master

Look how different and purple-ish the broken parts look, I’d be highly surprised if that is hongni... and that weird discoloured part around the lid hole???

And again Hongni is never ever that shiny naturally, maybe if seasoned.

Fully handmade looks highly doubtful as well, where are the traces of tools from making by hand? Vendors do say a lot of the day’s long...

@Simniak
Nowadays it's quite common that new pots are made shiny. Not sure what kind of clay or processing, or firing method they use, or what kind of additives are added, but it is distinctly different than factory 1 pots or prefactory pots. Also when it comes to the craftmanship, the standard now is for the pots to be "perfect". I think it is common for them to be bisque fired first, and corrected before the final firing.
As far as i know, the original seller which appears to be chinateatravel.ru is a very respected vendor, even if not well known in the western circles. Whatever the material is (in the end "hongni" just means red soil), IMO, it is quite possible that it is a one off fully handmade pot (making a mold makes sense only if a large number of same pots is produced). However, if you have doubts, its definitely better to return it if you can.

[Mark-S]

Seems it's "sloppy hand carved" instead of machine laser carving? Not sure which is more preferred. Usually machine laser carving is quite precise, but doesn't have too much depth, and "feels not human"

However that pot is still cool, has a kind of charisma.

I think I prefer the "sloppy hand carved" version What do you think how old this pot is (approximately)? 80's? And is it Hongni? Thanks for your help so far