Qing/ROC Pearskin Zhuni Repair (Lacquer & Wire)

[Bok]

You are going to see in a sec why I decided to put up this weird title…

I acquired this little broken pot as my next Kintsugi project. I thought it might be of interest to share the repair steps I will be taking… but as I do not intend to keep it in the end, I publish it here in the swap section where it will be ending up eventually. So it is a work in progress sale.

@admin please let me know if that is ok!?

The pot in question is a lovely Qing, late Republican Junde shape in pear skin Zhuni. Furthermore it bares the prestigious seal of Changji 昌記, one of the more prestigious Workshops of the period. Which is another reason this pot is definitely worth repairing! Lucky the handle broke in a way that the seal under it is still visible

What I am going to do is to first create a metal wire skeleton attached to the body. Then dress it up slowly with Kintsugi and remodel a handle. Gold coating would be a waste in this case, as it will rub off too easily. So I intend to do a nice handle wrapping which will cover the whole repaired handle.

That’s the plan… to be continued!

[pantry]

The pot looks so lovely, and in such great condition otherwise!

[Bok]

The pot looks so lovely, and in such great condition otherwise!

Yes it is... no wonder that workshop is sought after! The lid skirt inside is pretty chipped up but otherwise it's in good shape.

[pedant]

awesome, good luck with the project! i look forward to reading the updates.

[Pants404]

I feel that having the repairs documented like this can add much more value than just offering a "repaired pot".
I too look forward to seeing this progress.

[Bok]

Thanks guys, I'll get cracking!

Actually started already last night, drilling holes in the remainder of the handles to attach the basic wire bone. Not for the faint of heart to take a dentists drill to a 100+y old Zhuni teapot... but all went well and it's ready for the next step, which will come with a picture.

[pantry]

The pot looks so lovely, and in such great condition otherwise!

Yes it is... no wonder that workshop is sought after! The lid skirt inside is pretty chipped up but otherwise it's in good shape.

I immediately searched for Changji pots after I saw your post! Can't wait to see your repair progress. A bit off topic, where can one educate oneself about reputable workshops pots in the Qing/Early-ROC period?

[Bok]

The pot looks so lovely, and in such great condition otherwise!

Yes it is... no wonder that workshop is sought after! The lid skirt inside is pretty chipped up but otherwise it's in good shape.

I immediately searched for Changji pots after I saw your post! Can't wait to see your repair progress. A bit off topic, where can one educate oneself about reputable workshops pots in the Qing/Early-ROC period?

Unless you can read Chinese – nowhere... sadly all the book written on the subjects are in Chinese. And by talking to collectors with more experience, that is how learned most of what I know. Teapot collectors get together and met up frequently in Asia, chitchat, have tea and compare their finds.

[pantry]

Unless you can read Chinese – nowhere... sadly all the book written on the subjects are in Chinese. And by talking to collectors with more experience, that is how learned most of what I know. Teapot collectors get together and met up frequently in Asia, chitchat, have tea and compare their finds.

I can (sort of) read some, and I know how to use Google Translate! Eyeing some books on the subject, but not sure how I can get them since I'm not likely traveling this year. Any recommendations? Ebooks?

Edit: realize I digressed too much on this thread. I'll stop now and patiently wait for the repair update photos

[Chadrinkincat]

I look forward to seeing the results.

[Balthazar]

Ditto, I'm not a prospective buyer but am definitely interested in following the repair process.

[.m.]

It's a nice pot. But how are you going to attach the wire structure to the body so that it doesn't fall off one day? There is not much left of the top part of the handle. Are you gonna drill into the pot? Or make a ring around the body?

[Bok]

As I hinted before, I did indeed drill holes to attach the wire, further more some adhesive so it stays in place until the hardened Kintsugi holds it all together.

Below a picture of the wire with wrapped around thinner wire to add volume and give the Kintsugi something to attach to. After that a first layer of Urushi lacquer is applied over the whole thing as a foundation for the next step...

[jessepat84]

Good luck with this. I think it’ll be amazing when done

[faj]

Very interesting idea for a topic, great fun to see see the repair progressing. It does take skill to nail down the shape of the handle at that stage, there is not much leeway to correct afterwards. Good work!