yixing teapots

snipped-for-privacy@mb-m12.aol.com12/30/03

07: snipped-for-privacy@aol.comfrown

Tom,

I've been looking seriously and carefully at their site too. I also like the clay descriptions, but the e-bay thing is annoying. Also, I haven't found a pot quite exactly to my liking. Keep us posted on other companies; I'm in the market for a little teapot, but it has to be just right -- whatever that may mean.

Michael

This site has some interesting Yixing teapots, as well as accessories

On Tue, 30 Dec 2003 23:22:24

GMT, "Joanne Rosen" wrote:

snipped-for-privacy@homewithasix.pakffb4.56233718@news.012.net.il12/31/03 15:03Saracen

Thank you very much for the suggestion. I've been corresponding laely with the proprietors of Silkroadtrade and so far find their information and knowledge of their individual pots to be the best. (Thank you, person who recommended them.) Kam's pots are just a little too cute and cuddly for me, as are 99.999% of the yixing teapots available today. I think the whole industry is geared to a large degree to collecting and displaying. For actual use, I go for the simple, traditional and understated. The tea speaks for itself.

(These are no more than expressions of personal taste; please don't let them upset you undrooly.)

Best, Michael

Joanne,

[mentioned she bid for a silkroadtrade teapot on e-Bay...]

Hope you win your teapot. Please share about it. I'm very interested.

Michael

Yes, I bid and won the item- shipping is $19 with insurance-a little expensive for an $8 tea pot- I will keep everyone informed about arrival, etc.

Joanne RosenpceJb.20304$ snipped-for-privacy@newsread3.news.atl.earthlink.net1/2/04

08:18jpr54 snipped-for-privacy@hotmail.com

Joanne,

Good for you. Which teapot was it?

Michael

CHINESE YIXING ZISHA TEAPOT! ZHUNI COURTYARD i enjoy brewing tea in attractive pots-i think it adds to the experience- joanne

"Michael Plant" wrote

My favorites are some simple but exquisitely elegant pots made from very thin clay that I picked up on business trips to Japan. Don't know if they are yixing copies, homegrown or what. Any big department store has lovely pots that are superbly made for $20~50: not cheap, but I've never seen anything as nice for sale in the US or UK, even in SF's Japan-town. I went a couple of times to a Tokyo satellite-city called Machida, which I'm told is notable for claywork. They have (or had, a few years back) shops just full of superb teaware. Wish I'd bought more, as I gave most away, and am unlikely to return.

Does anyone have a site on which we could post photos for this NG? I'd be happy to contribute a few.

-DM

Anyone, looking for top grade teapots directly from the artist or China e-mail me I have personal contacts with many artist and can get you anything you want any price range any quality. I will not sell crap I do not sell crap I take my teapots serious most of my teapots are high-grade clay for daily use. I am not going to spam or anything here because I would love to read and write articles, you can guess my website by my e-mail address and feel free to e-mail me anytime.

Sincerely, Michael Ryan

Extraordinarily beautiful pots at extraordinary prices ~$300.

--Marshall

Anybody know how to date chinese teapots?

I just bought 4 more, 2 yixing, 1 jade & 1 turquois.

I bought them because I like how they look. Several of the sellers made claims as to the age of these pieces. While I feel that I got good deals regardless of the age,I would love to know how much bull**** is accompanying my purchases.

--Tom

-oo- ""\o~

------------------------------------ "Homo sum, humani nil a me alienum puto." Terrance

Quality and art does not come cheap, these teapots are not even seen in the U.S because the comprehensions of such work is not widely appreciated yet out side of Asia. I sell teapots online for $15.00 that others sell for $65 (want to see and example just ask) I also sell $200 and over teapots online that others will not sell because they do not even know what they are or what the value of them are... expensive you bet the best offered online.. you bet!

Hello, Tom

It is hard to date a Yixing teapot there are so many fakes out there it would blow your mind. The best way to buy an old teapot is to spend a lot of time building a relationship with someone and hope that this person knows what he or she are doing because even the best of the best can be fooled. In China within the antique teapot market, I feel confidant to say 99% are fake. There are something's to look for mainly shoe polish if it smells like shoe polish then it is fake. Not shinny in areas like the handle (always held), the knob on the lid etc... In addition, a used teapot for year's stains in certain areas, use common sense when buying these pots look for unnaturally stained areas. Mainly if you got it on e-bay for $9.99, it is fake. If you have it and you think it is real then that is all that matters you bought it for your enjoyment, even thermo luminescent testing can be fooled so there is never any one sure thing except your own mind.

mandjs

Michael snipped-for-privacy@posting.google.com1/15/04

02: snipped-for-privacy@mandjs.com

You can buy a Long Jin at the corner Chinese market for $8.00 a pound or you can buy it from ITC or another quality oriented company for $450.00 a pound. There is NOTHING wrong with the former; it's toasty qualities and lack of "complexity" might be the perfect thing for you or me. But, to another the latter's multilayered complexity, painstaking hand-picking and working and it's appearance in the cup and pot might render it well worth the price. The art world (note China of late) places intrinsic value. I've rambled enough.

Michael

I explored previous posts on this group and discovered that this header was used before. The thread contained a URL to a most remarkable site:

This URL can also lead you to the company's e-bay store.

It is true that Yixing teapots are handmade but really the correct term would be "hand-assembled." Why? Because the teapot components are formed in molds into which clay slip is poured.

As for buying a $300 teapot, I could not overlook the puffery in the quote below:

"As for curing your teapot I will tell you what Xu Han Tang' s brother Xu Xui Tang says in his book about Yixing teapots. For your reference, in case you do no not know who Xu Han Tang is he is the best Yixing teapot artists alive today. They say he is as good as Gu Jing Zhou was when he was alive."

Really, China has an estimated population of: 1,260,000,000! And someone is telling us that some unknow people "they" consider Xu Han Tang to be the best .......

--Marshall

Hey, Marshall

You are correct about slip clay being poured into a mold you can get these mass produces teapots very easily online for $9.99 and if you look in the right places (^^) you can even find them for $50-$60! However, not all Yixing teapots are made this way. Why are there so many Yixing teapot artists in China? Do they all sit around, pour clay into molds, and call themselves artist if so then I am an artist too? Maybe I can ask the 1.2 billion people in China who the best teapot mold maker is and have that person make a mold and then Xu Han Tang and someone who does not know a spout from a handle can just sit around everyday and make the exact same quality teapots all day long. If it were that simple then you would not see artist making them only factory workers. If you want hand "made items", you pay for the skill and the time of the person making it.

Question: If Yixing teapots are, "hand-Assembled" as you call it then why collect them?

Answer: People collect them because they have feeling and heart inside you cannot get that from a Mold.

If you want, the slip poured "hand-Assembled" teapots I am sure your link that you provided above will get you to the right place for these types of teapots.

I am no flaming anyone I am only putting in the other side of the story.

mandjs

According to Billy Mood: "Yixing Zisha Factory (No. 2) was formed in

1984 by brothers, Xu Siew Tang and Xu Han Tang, both master craftsmen. They managed to lured some craftsmen from Factory 1 to join them. Subsequent ranking of their craftsmen were self appointed and therefore not recognised by the central government. What does that mean to a teapot collector? Generally speaking that you should avoid collecting teapots made by craftsmen from Factory 2 since they are self appointed masters. However, we have to admit that there are a number of talented craftsmen in Factory 2 and we should collect based on quality rather than namesake."

OK Michael. Then I would think this distinction is important. But if the "high-end" pots you sell were not molded then their dimensions would vary greatly from pot-to-pot and the dimenions you cite would be highly inaccurate!

So, tell us, are molds used to form the "high-end" pots you sell?

I understand. You really sound like a reasonable guy. But advertising often contains "puffery":

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Claiming that X is the best Y in China is an instance of puffery. It is not illegal but many find it offensive.

Michael, sincere thanks for your informative posts. My only gripe is with a bit of puffery.

Let me put it this way:

Your USENET posts are the most informative USENET posts ever!

If you miss one of Michael Ryan's posts, then you're ill- prepared to drink your first daily cup of tea.

You expect more from Michael and you get it! :-)

--Marshall