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Lot Essay
It is very rare to find such a well modelled teapot in this size. The current teapot is close to 30 cm. in length and 22 cm. in height, but it has a remarkably thin wall measuring only around 0.2 cm., which could only have been achieved by a potter of distinguished talent.
A closely related teapot is in the collection of Mampuku-Ji Temple, Kyoto, illustrated in あこがれの名器, n. p. n. d., p. 14, no. 2 (fig. 1). It was brought to Japan along with a smaller Yixing teapot, ibid. no. 1, by the temple’s Chinese founder Yinyuan Longqi (Ingen Ryuki) (1592- 1673) when he left China in 1654. The larger Mampuku-Ji Temple teapot is very similar to the current teapot in form and size (approx. 28 cm. long) with equally thin walls and a poetic inscription followed by the signature Shi Dabin fanggu (Shi Dabin imitating the ancient). All three teapots have a single hole connecting the body and spout, a characteristic of Ming to early Qing Dynasty Yixing teapots. Those dated later almost invariably have a pierced dome in place.
Shi Dabin is one of the most prestigious Yixing potters in history. His exact dates are unknown but is generally believed to have been active during the late Ming and early Qing period. Works bearing his name abound but genuine ones remain controversial. It is possible that the potter’s name on the current teapot is an attribution, but the quality of its craftsmanship is indisputably high, and its strong similarity to the Manfuku-Ji Temple teapot which entered Japan in 1654 suggests the dating of the current teapot to be no later than early Qing.
A closely related teapot is in the collection of Mampuku-Ji Temple, Kyoto, illustrated in あこがれの名器, n. p. n. d., p. 14, no. 2 (fig. 1). It was brought to Japan along with a smaller Yixing teapot, ibid. no. 1, by the temple’s Chinese founder Yinyuan Longqi (Ingen Ryuki) (1592- 1673) when he left China in 1654. The larger Mampuku-Ji Temple teapot is very similar to the current teapot in form and size (approx. 28 cm. long) with equally thin walls and a poetic inscription followed by the signature Shi Dabin fanggu (Shi Dabin imitating the ancient). All three teapots have a single hole connecting the body and spout, a characteristic of Ming to early Qing Dynasty Yixing teapots. Those dated later almost invariably have a pierced dome in place.
Shi Dabin is one of the most prestigious Yixing potters in history. His exact dates are unknown but is generally believed to have been active during the late Ming and early Qing period. Works bearing his name abound but genuine ones remain controversial. It is possible that the potter’s name on the current teapot is an attribution, but the quality of its craftsmanship is indisputably high, and its strong similarity to the Manfuku-Ji Temple teapot which entered Japan in 1654 suggests the dating of the current teapot to be no later than early Qing.