Hi, there are some characters scratched into the bottom of my favorite Yixing pot. Could anybody tell me what they mean ? (I have a small digital pic of that inscription, just in case).
TIA, Karsten [N 53°13' - E 7°46']
Chinese inscription on a Yixing pot - help needed
Mar 27, 2006
3 Replies
These are commonly referred to as "Chop" marks and are a signature of the Potter (sometimes used by the apprentice of a given Master). Also sometimes called the "Potter's mark". See
formatting link
for some examples of antique potter's marks.
Mike
formatting link
Hey Karsten, if you send me the pic, I might be able to decipher it, with some sort of software and a lot of guessing. Of course, it would be easier for someone who knew the characters.
Ian
Its usually a 4-character set written in old "bird" script and consists of name of the master or/and the name of the factory/studio. In some cases words "zisha, China" are used. Knowing normal (brush (stroke)-based) script does not help much and bird script dictionaries are rare and lack systematic graphic search system. Despite the fact that "bird" script makes much more sense graphically and logically than the stroke-based, its usage is mostly confines to chops. If you send me the pic, I may be able to help.
Sasha.
TIA, Karsten [N 53°13' - E 7°46']
Join the Discussion
Have something to add? Share your thoughts — no account required.
Didn't find your answer?
Ask the community — no account required