CLAY MASTER
Antique Yixing zisha teapots – prized for their workmanship and depth of flavour in tea brewing – are skyrocketing in value, with affluent tea aesthetes and collectors viewing them as investments.
It was the autumn of 1398. In his Nanjing palace, Ming dynasty founding emperor Hongwu was about to issue an edict that would forever change the way the Chinese brewed tea. Having grown weary of the laborious manner in which powdered tea (the predecessor of modern-day Japanese matcha) was prepared by the elite in the preceding Song and Yuan dynasties, Emperor Hongwu decreed that all tribute tea would be in the form of loose leaves.
The consumption of loose leaf tea itself was nothing new, but the practice was associated with peasants and the working class. Hongwu might have ascended the dragon throne, but he had grown up as the son of peasants. His decree to establish a new norm represented a watershed moment for the literati, inspiring the creation of new types of teaware. Pots and cups to steep and sip tea replaced tea ewers, bowls and bamboo whisks.
By the early 1500s, tea drinkers were experimenting with teapots made from different materials. Porcelain was the most common, followed by pewter and silver. The clay vessels from Yixing in Jiangsu province, however, were gaining popularity among the connoisseurs.
Known simply as Yixing zisha ( literally, “purple clay”) teapots, they were moulded from clay found only in Yixing. Examples include duanni, zini and
hongni. Typically left unglazed, the clay’s mineral
constituents coupled with its unique porosity and heat retention properties meant that such teapots lent themselves extraordinarily well to brewing tea.
In An Account of Yangxian Teapots, the first known monograph on teapots from Yixing – known as Yangxian before it was renamed – that dates back to approximately 1640, Ming dynasty poet-author Zhou Gao Qi wrote: “Teapots made from such clay are able to enhance the colour, fragrance and flavour of tea. Those made by renowned craftsmen weigh very little but cost
10 to 20 pieces of gold. As a result, the price of gold now is rivalled by the price of such clay.”
Indeed, in the 21st century, such teapots – and especially those made by famous potters and ceramic artists such as
Shi Dabin, Chen Mingyuan, Shao Daheng and Gu Jingzhou – are still much sought after for their peerless tea-brewing properties.
For instance, at China Guardian’s 2010 Spring Auction in Beijing, a 1948 zisha teapot made by Gu Jingzhou sold for a staggering
12.3 million yuan (S$2.5 million). Holding the record as the most expensive Yixing vessel sold by an international auction house, however, is a pumpkin-shaped teapot. It was previously in the collection of K S Lo, founder of Flagstaff House Museum of Tea Ware in Hong Kong. Bearing the seal of Chen Mingyuan and dating back to the Kangxi-Yongzheng period (1661 to 1735), it went under the hammer at Christie’s Hong Kong in June 2011 for HK$8.4 million (S$1.5 million).
But the acquisition and appraisal of Yixing teapots and accessories are not without challenges. “It is important to compare and study seal marks and any inscriptions carefully, and to consider the weight and patina,” explains Chi Fan Tsang, head of the Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art Department at Christie’s Asia Pacific. “Condition is also important as Yixing teapots crack easily. Fissures, especially on the mouth rim and handle, are extremely fine, making them difficult to spot with the naked eye. Provenance and any published material will add to an object’s value.”
While Tsang is optimistic about the market for collecting antique Yixing vessels, she cautions: “Do not necessarily think of buying for investment; that way you will never be disappointed. The future of the Yixing teapot market is healthy as long as buyers do their homework and, as with most cases in the world of collecting antiques, seek advice from specialists.
“Antique Yixing teapots will always be collectible. There is an increasing awareness for good quality Yixing on the market in recent years and, since quantity is limited, this will keep the chase more enticing for collectors.”