In the refined world of tea and tea ware, the strict requirements for tea quality and the meticulous attention to tea ware complement each other. For those who truly understand and love tea, an excellent purple clay teapot is not just a tool for making tea but also a symbol of taste and style. The value of a purple clay teapot largely depends on the grade of its raw materials. As the saying goes, "Good clay materials paired with good craftsmanship" is an unchanging rule.
Today, Tongxin She Teahouse recommends Ye Xiangkun's handmade cloak palace lantern small coal mine pear skin zhu clay teapot with a capacity of 130cc. This teapot combines rare clay materials, exquisite craftsmanship and a unique style, making it a truly rare purple clay art treasure. It is of great value and significance whether for personal use, appreciation or collection and investment.
This teapot is made of small coal mine zhu clay. Since its mining, this clay material has been renowned as the "Queen of Zhu Clay" due to its rarity and has attracted the attention of senior purple clay teapot enthusiasts. The ore clay of small coal mine zhu clay is fine and pure. It can be turned into powder with just a little rubbing by hand. Its green body shrinkage rate is as high as 25% - 30%. Compared with the 10% shrinkage rate of ordinary zhu clay, the finished product rate is less than 50%, so it is extremely rare on the market. After the small coal mine was closed in the 1990s, the clay has been aged for nearly 30 years, making it even more precious and now it is so valuable that there is hardly any available for sale despite the price offered.
This teapot is carefully crafted by Master Ye Xiangkun, a renowned artist in zhu clay. His works perfectly embody the artistic essence of purple clay, which is "round and smooth like pearls, showing roundness within squareness, and presenting largeness within smallness". Taking his horizontal teapot as an example, its design is simple yet elegant, and the lines on the body of the teapot are full of tension, demonstrating a unique artistic charm.
Master Ye Xiangkun has profound attainments in the field of clay material blending. The teapots he makes have the charm of the purple clay teapots from the Ming and Qing Dynasties. They exude a unique and charming artistic atmosphere in their simple and elegant appearance and delicate and smooth texture, thus making them even more scarce and precious. His works have a unique style. They not only inherit the temperament and techniques of traditional purple clay craftsmanship but also incorporate his own deep understanding and unique insights into the art of purple clay, and are warmly sought after and highly praised by connoisseurs in the field. He enjoys extremely high recognition and reputation in the purple clay circle.
In the auction market, Master Ye Xiangkun's works also have outstanding performances. For example, in the Purple Charm and Natural Success Purple Clay Art Special Session of the Beijing Dingxing Tianhe Spring Auction in 2019, the transaction price of his 100cc horizontal teapot reached as high as 3500USD, far exceeding the estimated price at that time, which strongly confirms the market's favor and acceptance of his works.