James Freeman on wed 23 jun 10
June 17, 2010
BEIJING=3D97 In addition to a cultivated taste for tea, the Chinese also
have a penchant for teapots. Last month, a 1948 purple clay Yixing
zisha teapot by the master ceramicist Gu Jingzhou sold for nearly $2
million at a China Guardian auction in Beijing, topping the list of
the most expensive Yixing teapots in the world.
A living legend at almost 100 years old, Gu has honed a sophisticated
craftsmanship that can measure up to that of Ming court artisans of
the 14th century. This teapot is made from a clay that can only be
found in the town of Yixing in China, where the zisha clay usually
comes in five natural colors =3D97 of which purple is the rarest,
containing no lead but a variety of minerals that are healthy for tea
drinkers.
Yixing teapots often interest buyers for their engagement with ancient
Chinese literature, as poems and designs are engraved on them by
calligraphers and artists. This multimillion-dollar pot is adorned
with notable calligraphic engravings by modern master Wu Hufan and
bamboo carvings by painter Jiang Handing.
Though historically they are most often coveted by Chinese collectors,
a few teapots have also been purchased by foreign collectors at
auctions at Christie's and Sotheby=3D92s in Hong Kong. If $2 million
dollars seems extravagant for a clay pot, just wait until another
Yixing piece comes up for auction =3D97 the prices of these vessels are
expected to continue to rise.
About 10 or so years ago, I recall a Greuby vase selling at auction
for the then staggering sum of $94,000, which represented a record
price for a piece of pottery. At $2 million per teapot, you only need
to sell a couple of pieces per year to make a decent living! Strange
times we live in.
...James
James Freeman
"All I say is by way of discourse, and nothing by way of advice. I
should not speak so boldly if it were my due to be believed."
-Michel de Montaigne
http://www.jamesfreemanstudio.com
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamesfreemanstudio/
http://www.jamesfreemanstudio.com/resources
phil on fri 25 jun 10
Thatsalotta chow mein there brother...
Helps one appreciate communism, too.
De Teapot de Teapot, who is be gots de Teapot?
The guy with two million schmucks to blow on a 'Tea Pot', that's "who"...
Lol...
Ohhhhhhhhhh, I been blowing palm-fly Kisses up into de sky since I was
six...toward that dimly apprehended, slow-tumbling, pock-marked, glistening
Astroid, the size of a Greyhound Bus thereabouts...headed this way from,
Ohhh, I dunno, the Constellation 'Herculese' more or less...headed this way
at maybe, 65,000 Miles-per-Second or so...almost softly hissing somehow, as
it does it's slow motion 'endos' through the infinite, purple Cat-Purring
vastness...of Space...
...sigh...
Phil
Lv
----- Original Message -----
From: "James Freeman"
June 17, 2010
BEIJING- In addition to a cultivated taste for tea, the Chinese also
have a penchant for teapots. Last month, a 1948 purple clay Yixing
zisha teapot by the master ceramicist Gu Jingzhou sold for nearly $2
million at a China Guardian auction in Beijing, topping the list of
the most expensive Yixing teapots in the world.
A living legend at almost 100 years old, Gu has honed a sophisticated
craftsmanship that can measure up to that of Ming court artisans of
the 14th century. This teapot is made from a clay that can only be
found in the town of Yixing in China, where the zisha clay usually
comes in five natural colors - of which purple is the rarest,
containing no lead but a variety of minerals that are healthy for tea
drinkers.
Yixing teapots often interest buyers for their engagement with ancient
Chinese literature, as poems and designs are engraved on them by
calligraphers and artists. This multimillion-dollar pot is adorned
with notable calligraphic engravings by modern master Wu Hufan and
bamboo carvings by painter Jiang Handing.
Though historically they are most often coveted by Chinese collectors,
a few teapots have also been purchased by foreign collectors at
auctions at Christie's and Sotheby's in Hong Kong. If $2 million
dollars seems extravagant for a clay pot, just wait until another
Yixing piece comes up for auction - the prices of these vessels are
expected to continue to rise.
About 10 or so years ago, I recall a Greuby vase selling at auction
for the then staggering sum of $94,000, which represented a record
price for a piece of pottery. At $2 million per teapot, you only need
to sell a couple of pieces per year to make a decent living! Strange
times we live in.
...James
James Freeman
"All I say is by way of discourse, and nothing by way of advice. I
should not speak so boldly if it were my due to be believed."
-Michel de Montaigne
http://www.jamesfreemanstudio.com
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamesfreemanstudio/
http://www.jamesfreemanstudio.com/resources
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