Yixing

Minatures
Posts: 9
Joined: Wed Jun 23, 2021 6:11 pm

Wed Jun 23, 2021 6:28 pm

Yixing in natural green clay?

Hi,

New to the forum and also new to being active on tea and teaware 😀

My dad has a certified Yixing teapot that is what i would descdibe as cucumber skin green. The certificate has the artist pic and definitely Yixing on it, but I can't read the rest in Chinese. I'm struggling to find this colour clay anywhere online....are there anyone who has any info? I will post a pic next time I see it. Btw, it's not duanni and my dad said colour was not added for the effect.

I'm starting with a CZ pot but already researching Yixing for ripe black tea.

I love to get more info on this. Thanks in advance.
Last edited by Victoria on Wed Jun 23, 2021 6:35 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Mod edit: merged new member topic
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steanze
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Wed Jun 23, 2021 8:03 pm

To my knowledge natural green Yixing clay does not exist. Green clay is usually made by adding cobalt oxide. All the best for your research!
Minatures wrote:
Wed Jun 23, 2021 6:28 pm
Yixing in natural green clay?

Hi,

New to the forum and also new to being active on tea and teaware 😀

My dad has a certified Yixing teapot that is what i would descdibe as cucumber skin green. The certificate has the artist pic and definitely Yixing on it, but I can't read the rest in Chinese. I'm struggling to find this colour clay anywhere online....are there anyone who has any info? I will post a pic next time I see it. Btw, it's not duanni and my dad said colour was not added for the effect.

I'm starting with a CZ pot but already researching Yixing for ripe black tea.

I love to get more info on this. Thanks in advance.
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Bok
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Wed Jun 23, 2021 8:04 pm

Minatures wrote:
Wed Jun 23, 2021 6:28 pm
Yixing in natural green clay?

Hi,

New to the forum and also new to being active on tea and teaware 😀

My dad has a certified Yixing teapot that is what i would descdibe as cucumber skin green. The certificate has the artist pic and definitely Yixing on it, but I can't read the rest in Chinese. I'm struggling to find this colour clay anywhere online....are there anyone who has any info? I will post a pic next time I see it. Btw, it's not duanni and my dad said colour was not added for the effect.

I'm starting with a CZ pot but already researching Yixing for ripe black tea.

I love to get more info on this. Thanks in advance.
First of all welcome!

Secondly, in regards to your question: No disrespect to your father, but there is no naturally occurring green clay in Yixing and certificates have the same value as the cost of paper and ink on it... If it is green, there are a few possibilities:

_Antique Duanni can look greenish-yellow, but not in your case, as it will never reach cucumber green and you would also be able to make out different grain colours from bright yellow to greenish grey and browns. As yours has a certificate I am assuming it to be of more recent make.

_Duanni reduction fired. Can be olive green to almost black, but also not cucumber, it's more of a yellowish green-olive, rather than blueish as cucumber would be.

_Yixing coloured with additives

_Non-Yixing coloured clay

hope this helps!

No other possibilities that I am aware of. Do you have pictures?
Andrew S
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Location: Sydney, Australia

Wed Jun 23, 2021 10:12 pm

How green can benshan lüni get? (assuming it is unadulterated)

I assume that it never goes past a light yellow sort of colour.

Andrew
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Bok
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Wed Jun 23, 2021 10:22 pm

Andrew S wrote:
Wed Jun 23, 2021 10:12 pm
How green can benshan lüni get? (assuming it is unadulterated)

I assume that it never goes past a light yellow sort of colour.

Andrew
The ore is green, not the finished product. It is yellow.
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Youzi
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Thu Jun 24, 2021 1:03 am

steanze wrote:
Wed Jun 23, 2021 8:03 pm
To my knowledge natural green Yixing clay does not exist. Green clay is usually made by adding cobalt oxide. All the best for your research!
Minatures wrote:
Wed Jun 23, 2021 6:28 pm
Yixing in natural green clay?

Hi,

New to the forum and also new to being active on tea and teaware 😀

My dad has a certified Yixing teapot that is what i would descdibe as cucumber skin green. The certificate has the artist pic and definitely Yixing on it, but I can't read the rest in Chinese. I'm struggling to find this colour clay anywhere online....are there anyone who has any info? I will post a pic next time I see it. Btw, it's not duanni and my dad said colour was not added for the effect.

I'm starting with a CZ pot but already researching Yixing for ripe black tea.

I love to get more info on this. Thanks in advance.
Green is chromium oxide, to my knowledge, or a mix of chromium and cobalt depending on the shade they wanna achieve.

But +1.

Usually they use white clay for the oxide colored teapots. Then add the color to it (green, blue, yellow, red, black). But I'm talking about low end teapots here.

High end colored pots usually use High quality Lüni, for it's beige color, then add the oxides, usually chromium for green or cobalt for blue.
Minatures
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Joined: Wed Jun 23, 2021 6:11 pm

Thu Jun 24, 2021 3:31 am

Thanks for all the friendly replies. I know questions are worthless without pics. Hopefully will post on Sat. The closest colour I found online: https://yannartgallery.com/collections/ ... n-guo-luni

Thanks again 🙏
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Bok
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Thu Jun 24, 2021 4:06 am

Minatures wrote:
Thu Jun 24, 2021 3:31 am
Thanks again 🙏
You are welcome, all of the above applies to this pot as well, so likely coloured Duanni.
Minatures wrote:
Thu Jun 24, 2021 3:31 am
authentic-min-guo-luni
that on the other hand doesn't mean anything, Minguo means Republic of China, which ended of course at some point, so not authentic, unless they mean "processed in a similar way as was done during ROC."

Anyways, just the usual marketing crap of vendors trying to create more confusion than clarity for customers by inventing more and more newly invented clay categories... as if it weren't complicated enough already.
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enjoi
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Fri Jun 25, 2021 4:42 am

Yesterday I received a teapot which I acquired via a virtual marketplace here in Austria for quite a low value.
The seller didn’t know exactly what he offered,
but told me that his grandmother bought the teapot during her holidays in China in the early 90s.

I guess it’s a F1 Biandeng in Neiziwaihong (NZWH) from the 80s, with 110ml and a 7-hole filter.
Curious what the experts can tell me about it. Thanks for your help!

Mark-S
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Fri Jun 25, 2021 2:05 pm

Could you please tell me your opinion about this pot? It is the first of two new pots I've bought. This is the more problematic one, because I did not find similar antiques online to compare it to.

They did not cost $7000 each like some of your pots, but they also did not cost $50... I have 1 week to return them.

In my opinion, they are definitely not trash... but they have to be collectible antiques... otherwise I am going to return them. I don't want "nice" copies with questionable clay.

Sorry in advance if I am wrong again ;)
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Bok
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Fri Jun 25, 2021 8:29 pm

@Mark-S ornamented pots are not my strength, but it’s still almost impossible to judge a dirty pot. The grit can cover up a lot about the true nature of the pot.

What got me concerned is the inside of the lid, even with the dirt. Is the transition of the bottom to sides one smooth round curve or more like an edge?

Seems like some version of the squirrel grape pot…
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steanze
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Fri Jun 25, 2021 9:48 pm

Mark-S wrote:
Fri Jun 25, 2021 2:05 pm
Could you please tell me your opinion about this pot? It is the first of two new pots I've bought. This is the more problematic one, because I did not find similar antiques online to compare it to.

They did not cost $7000 each like some of your pots, but they also did not cost $50... I have 1 week to return them.

In my opinion, they are definitely not trash... but they have to be collectible antiques... otherwise I am going to return them. I don't want "nice" copies with questionable clay.

Sorry in advance if I am wrong again ;)
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This is an interesting one. There are several features that look "correct": the base, the interior filter, the exterior of the lid, the outer edge of the underside of the lid, the upper portion of the body... yet other features look suspicious: the underside of the lid, the spout... I'd give it a ~60-65% chance of being antique, with workmanship that is a bit inconsistent for different sections, possibly made for export.
Mark-S
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Sat Jun 26, 2021 3:45 am

Bok wrote:
Fri Jun 25, 2021 8:29 pm
Mark-S ornamented pots are not my strength, but it’s still almost impossible to judge a dirty pot. The grit can cover up a lot about the true nature of the pot.

What got me concerned is the inside of the lid, even with the dirt. Is the transition of the bottom to sides one smooth round curve or more like an edge?

Seems like some version of the squirrel grape pot…
I know... but it's "if you clean it, you keep it". :lol: If I keep this one I'll definitely clean it. I want to be able to use it.

It's a smooth transition. Is this a good sign? The photos are a bit distorted because I had to use a mid-range smartphone to take them and the lighting wasn't good (I had to work long hours yesterday).

Yes, I got a F1 version with a damaged lid (1 squirrel is missing). I don't know if you remember.

Actually, I wanted to buy the $1000+ F1 version from ZAG but somebody bought this pot... :( So I looked for other teapots with this design and found this one. I paid about $250 for it... It's now the most expensive pot in my collection.
steanze wrote:
Fri Jun 25, 2021 9:48 pm
This is an interesting one. There are several features that look "correct": the base, the interior filter, the exterior of the lid, the outer edge of the underside of the lid, the upper portion of the body... yet other features look suspicious: the underside of the lid, the spout... I'd give it a ~60-65% chance of being antique, with workmanship that is a bit inconsistent for different sections, possibly made for export.
The clay looks fine to me with Mica and small black/yellow dots... The teapot also has a small hairline crack. I don't know if this is easy to fake.

The teapot seems to be waxed. What do you think of this? I've read on teachat that this is a red flag... but I've seen a green label pot with wax applied (I think it was posted in this forum)... and the seller told me that it's common. However, he was wrong about other things, so I don't trust him blindly.
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Bok
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Sat Jun 26, 2021 3:56 am

@Mark-S think about it… a wax that holds over a century of use???? That would be quite the worrying wax. Impossible a wax stays longer than one use with hot water, that’s how easy it comes off. The shine could be patina though.

Smooth transition inside lid makes me think it’s a fake though. If you touch with your finger does it feel similar to the squirrel you have already?

Lastly, if the seller knows it’s antique for sure, why on earth would he sell for 250??? Those kind of deals raise a large red flag. I’d return it and wait for another ZAG, at least you can be reasonably sure what you get for your money.
Mark-S
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Sat Jun 26, 2021 4:36 am

Bok wrote:
Sat Jun 26, 2021 3:56 am
Mark-S think about it… a wax that holds over a century of use???? That would be quite the worrying wax. Impossible a wax stays longer than one use with hot water, that’s how easy it comes off. The shine could be patina though.

Smooth transition inside lid makes me think it’s a fake though. If you touch with your finger does it feel similar to the squirrel you have already?

Lastly, if the seller knows it’s antique for sure, why on earth would he sell for 250??? Those kind of deals raise a large red flag. I’d return it and wait for another ZAG, at least you can be reasonably sure what you get for your money.
Ok, I didn't know this. I've read that you have to boil the pot to remove the wax. But you are right, could also be a patina. I've read that they become wax-like over time.

The F1 squirrel pot is much smaller. But I think it has a harder edge, if I remember correctly.

I think because it's damaged and he did not know that much about antiques. I've talked to two Asian collectors and both said that these pots are nice but they both criticized the damage. Seems to be a deal breaker for many.

This is the other pot from the same seller. It looks even better than the first one.. and it cost about half as much. :lol: This one was inexpensive enough to keep it even if it's a fake. If this is a fake it's a beautiful fake. ;)
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