Purchasing a purple clay Teapot is one of the most critical steps in collecting them. Therefore, after gaining a preliminary understanding of purple clay Teapots, mastering the purchasing tips and collection methods becomes the most important issue. This chapter poses questions from various angles so that readers can acquire relevant knowledge as quickly as possible and prepare adequately for the practical stage.
How to choose a purple clay teapot from the perspective of brewing Tea?
When choosing a new teapot, if considered purely from the perspective of brewing tea, the first thing to consider should be the practical functionality of the teapot. When deciding on the size of the teapot, you should consider how many people usually Drink tea at home and select a teapot with an appropriate capacity. Consider what kind of teapots you already have and which ones are missing. Use this method to choose the size of the teapot.
Furthermore, consider the variety of tea you intend to brew. Purple clay teapots have excellent tea compatibility, but teas come in different categories and require different brewing methods. Therefore, when considering the teapot's brewing function, the shape, size, etc., of the purple clay teapot should be thoughtfully considered. Additionally, different teas should be brewed with different teapots and not alternated.
Do modern purple clay ceramic works have collection value?
Influenced by internationally popular modern ceramic art, some descendants of Yixing purple clay masters also engage in modern purple clay ceramic creation. The level of these works is high, yet their prices are low. Some of these works have been collected by museums, making them suitable for personal collections as well. Modern purple clay ceramics are a type of purple clay work that appears in a new form, pursuing artistic individuality and emphasizing the novelty and originality of the form. They do not suffer from the drawbacks of traditional purple clay, where “a thousand people make one teapot,” thus they are more suitable for collection.
Why isn't it true that the older the purple clay teapot, the better for collection?
Many people believe that the older the purple clay teapot, the better, and focus their collection goals on old or antique teapots. However, using age as the sole criterion for collecting purple clay teapots is problematic. Only a small portion of old purple clay teapots are made by famous artists, and most of them are already museum pieces, rarely seen in the art auction market. Most old purple clay teapots are imitations, but the quality of these imitations varies greatly. Some are made by skilled successors imitating the works of their predecessors, apprentices imitating their masters, or descendants imitating their ancestors. More commonly, they are industry insiders producing “standard goods” as imitations.
Clearly, there is complex content behind the “old” in old purple clay teapots, which cannot be summarized simply by saying “older is better.”
However, many people still believe that the older the purple clay teapot, the better. Therefore, second-hand markets provide ample supplies for those who insist on collecting only old purple clay teapots. These so-called “old” or “antique” teapots are imitations made from low-grade clay, artificially aged with techniques such as “wax rubbing.” This involves carefully polishing the surface of a new teapot with fine sandpaper, then rubbing it with a waxed brush, making the surface appear very smooth and similar to the “dull luster” formed by nurturing the teapot. Some even polish the teapot with shoe polish. Such artificial aging methods are highly undesirable, as sandpaper polishing destroys the surface structure of the teapot. During tea brewing, the wax and shoe polish will melt, which is extremely unhygienic and difficult to clean. In addition, some use acid corrosion to artificially age the teapot, or coat new purple clay teapots with white cement and soak them in water to mimic the appearance of unearthed artifacts. Therefore, one should be cautious about overly glossy “old” purple clay teapots.
Shoe polish-aged teapot
Why is it said that only purple clay teapots made by famous artists have collection value?
Not all purple clay teapots are worth buying and collecting. Like calligraphy and painting, the collection value of purple clay teapots is also subject to the “famous artist effect,” with a significant difference between teapots made by famous artists and those made by non-famous artists. Ordinary purple clay teapots are merely practical household utensils and do not possess the qualities of cultural and artistic collectibles. Most of the purple clay teapots found at street stalls are fakes specifically designed to impersonate ancient teapots and have no real collection value. Only the works of famous artists have true collection value. Purple clay teapots made by contemporary masters also have collection value, especially the works of grandmasters, whose values have steadily increased.
Aged teapot
What is an antique teapot?
An antique teapot refers to a purple clay teapot produced between the Ming Dynasty and the early years of the Republic of China. Antique teapots are scarce, expensive, and the market is flooded with various imitations. Therefore, if you want to start collecting antique teapots, you must be cautious. To collect antique teapots, you should first familiarize yourself with the information in books, such as “Yangxian Famous Teapots Series” by Zhou Gaoqi from the Ming Dynasty, “Yangxian Famous Pottery Record” by Wu Qian from the Qing Dynasty, and “Yangxian Sand Pot Illustration and Examination” co-authored by Li Jingkang and Zhang Hong during the early Republic of China. You should have a basic understanding of these materials. However, the information from these books can only provide basic common sense; the most important thing is to gain hands-on experience, mastering the ability to compare different types of clay and recognizing the characteristics of handcrafted purple clay teapots. With this foundation, you can begin to attempt the collection of antique teapots, and more experience will accumulate over time through practice.