Home
News
In Focus
Business
Metro
Nation
World
Sports
Feature
Opinion
View more »Opinion Columns
Wan LixinOpinion deputy editor of Shanghai Daily
Restaurants get off to a quick start thanks to game-changing policies
High service charges on event ticket refunds call for further regulation
Sunday
- Subscribe
Related News
Home » Feature » Art and Culture
Famed teapots under hammer
By Wang Jie |
September 10, 2009, Thursday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
IT is rare to see antique zisha (purple clay) teapots in city auctions but nine works by a Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) master will go under the hammer, so to speak, at The Regent Shanghai next Wednesday.
Famous zisha teapots are made from purple clay mined in Yixing, Jiangsu Province. They are known for brewing superb green tea. With use, the tea flavor is absorbed by the clay, and it is said that with a fine much-used old pot, you can just pour in hot water, no tea leaves, and get a perfect cup of tea with wonderful aroma.
The nine purple clay teapots to be auctioned were made by Chen Mingyuan, a Qing Dynasty master who was considered one of the most skilled. From the 1920s to 1940s, his teapots were coveted by Shanghai collections because of their unique shapes, colors and textures.
Chen was imaginative and carved the clay into shapes like eggplant, fruit or a root.
According to Ji Chongjian, owner of Chongyuan Auction House, Chen's teapots all have a clear provenance. They are from the collection of Chen Zhichu, a discerning art collector in old Shanghai.
"In China, zisha teapots are believed to have their own spirits," Ji says. "Its distinctive, earthy taste and deep reddish color is known for its many health-giving properties. It aids in digestion and fat metabolism."
Obviously, the antique teapots function more as an art piece than a functional utensil.
These teapots are estimated to each fetch 300,000 yuan to 400,000 yuan (US$43,920-US58,460).
The auction also features about 900 antiques ranging from traditional ink-wash painting, calligraphy to ceramics and jade. Most of them were consigned by the descendants of Chinese entrepreneurs or intellectuals living abroad.
"Providing provenance is one of the characteristic of our auction house, because there are so many fake pieces on the market," says Ji. "We guarantee that those pieces to go under hammer at our auction have a clear provenance."
Date: September 16, 9am
Address: 1116 Yan'an Rd W.
Famous zisha teapots are made from purple clay mined in Yixing, Jiangsu Province. They are known for brewing superb green tea. With use, the tea flavor is absorbed by the clay, and it is said that with a fine much-used old pot, you can just pour in hot water, no tea leaves, and get a perfect cup of tea with wonderful aroma.
The nine purple clay teapots to be auctioned were made by Chen Mingyuan, a Qing Dynasty master who was considered one of the most skilled. From the 1920s to 1940s, his teapots were coveted by Shanghai collections because of their unique shapes, colors and textures.
Chen was imaginative and carved the clay into shapes like eggplant, fruit or a root.
According to Ji Chongjian, owner of Chongyuan Auction House, Chen's teapots all have a clear provenance. They are from the collection of Chen Zhichu, a discerning art collector in old Shanghai.
"In China, zisha teapots are believed to have their own spirits," Ji says. "Its distinctive, earthy taste and deep reddish color is known for its many health-giving properties. It aids in digestion and fat metabolism."
Obviously, the antique teapots function more as an art piece than a functional utensil.
These teapots are estimated to each fetch 300,000 yuan to 400,000 yuan (US$43,920-US58,460).
The auction also features about 900 antiques ranging from traditional ink-wash painting, calligraphy to ceramics and jade. Most of them were consigned by the descendants of Chinese entrepreneurs or intellectuals living abroad.
"Providing provenance is one of the characteristic of our auction house, because there are so many fake pieces on the market," says Ji. "We guarantee that those pieces to go under hammer at our auction have a clear provenance."
Date: September 16, 9am
Address: 1116 Yan'an Rd W.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
