The most expensive pumpkin teapot in history, 32.2 million!
In the history of purple clay pots, pumpkin pots play a pivotal role in flower utensils, integrating bionic decals and rib patterns.
Chen Mingyuan has four famous pumpkin pots, namely "Hezheng Pumpkin Pot" in Shanghai Hezhengzhai Collection, "Dongling Pumpkin Pot" in Nanjing Museum, "One Sip Pumpkin Pot" in Xuzhai Pang Yuanji Collection, and "Wan Nian" in Taiwan Jiansongge Collection. Melon Pot" (remains).
01The most expensive pumpkin pot in history "Hezheng Pumpkin Pot"
▲Chen Mingyuan's Hezheng Pumpkin Pot
Sold for 32,200,000 Yuan at China Guardian Auction
This pot comes from Chen Mingyuan, a great master of purple sand during the reign of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty. According to the inscription on the pot, it is called "Hezheng Melon Pot", and it has a legendary color.
According to legend, the old owner of the pot can be traced back to Pang Yuanji, the owner of Xuzhai in the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China.
When he was financially poor in his later years, he gave a large number of collections to Tan Jing, the father-in-law of Du Weishan, the son of Du Yuesheng. Tan Jing was a legendary collector during the Republic of China.
In 1978, Du Weishan auctioned this pot at Sotheby's "Yixing Famous Pottery" auction, and Luo Guixiang, a famous patriotic industrialist in Hong Kong, won a huge sum of 30,000 Hong Kong dollars.
▲Mr. Luo Guixiang
In 1981, Mr. Luo Guixiang donated hundreds of ceramic tea utensils to the Hong Kong Municipal Council, and when the Hong Kong Tea Ware Museum was established, Gu Jingzhou only selected this pumpkin pot and let Mr. Luo Guixiang stay.
In addition to this and the Zhengmelon Pot, Chen Mingyuan’s Pumpkin Pots also include the Dongling Melon Pot in the Nanjing Museum, the One Sip Melon Pot in the old collection of Pang Yuanji in Xuzhai, and the Wannian Melon Pot in the Jiansong Pavilion in Taiwan. Unfortunately, Wannian The melon pot is a remnant.
02 Dongling melon pot (collected by Nanjing Museum)
▲Chen Mingyuan Dongling Melon Pot
Among the four pumpkin pots handed down by Chen Mingyuan, Dongling Pumpkin Pot, which was collected in Nanjing Museum in 1956, can be regarded as the most well-known work.
"Dongling Melon Pot" uses the melon as the body, the stem as the lid, the vines as the handle, and the melon leaves twisted into the spout; the inscription on the body of the pot is "Imitating the Tangling style, which is filled with snow and frankincense and sings far away." The seal script "Chen Mingyuan" in Lingyang script is printed in the square.
Regarding the origin of this pot, it is said that after the fall of the Qin Dynasty, Dongling Hou Zhaoping planted melons in the eastern suburbs of Chang'an, known as "Dongling melons"; A pot created in the spirit of A.
In addition, Song people called Longfeng Tuan tea "stone milk" or "white milk". When making tea, the noodle soup is "glossy like silver threads", which looks like "raw milk chestnut" and "milk flower cooked", so there is "snow milk". "Frankincense"; "Sheng Laixue Frankincense" means that in this small teapot, the tea filled with "tea fragrance" is "let you drink it", which shows that Chen Mingyuan has unique ideas and superb skills.
03 A sip melon pot
▲Chen Mingyuan's "One Sip of a Melon Pot" from the old collection of Pang Yuanji in Xuzhai
It is reported that "One Sip of a Melon Pot" was originally collected by Pang Yuanji, a famous collector in the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China.
The inscription on this pot is "How to sip this taste to reveal my confinement", which is very intriguing and has far-reaching implications.
04 "Wannian Melon Pot" in the collection of Jiansong Pavilion
Jiansong Pavilion is the golden sign of Wenwan collection, and insiders commented that "it represents a high-grade, high-quality collection of Wenwan"; Chen Mingyuan's "Wannian Melon Pot" is collected here.
▲ "Wannian Melon Pot" in the collection of Jiansong Pavilion, Taiwan (missing cover)
It is worth noting that, different from the three pots introduced above, the "Wannian Melon Pot" is incomplete and the lid has been missing; even so, it still has an important position in the field of purple sand collection with its unique incomplete beauty.
Gu Jingzhou once praised Chen Mingyuan: "A collection of the culmination of the purple sand tradition in the Ming Dynasty, a famous sand artist who went through the three dynasties of Kang, Yong and Qian in the Qing Dynasty... His practice has established a milestone in the history of sand art."
▲ A large pumpkin pot made of red mud by Chen Mingyuan, Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty
As a master of flower ware, Chen Mingyuan's four pumpkin pots are ingenious in conception, vivid in image, different in shape, and witty, which is amazing.
In modern times, there are also many famous Zisha celebrities who make very fresh pumpkin pots, such as Master Wang Yinxian.
▲ Wang Yinxian Golden Autumn Pumpkin Pot
▲Wang Yinxian Pumpkin Pot
▲Wang Yinxian "Dark Green Pumpkin Pot"
According to research, the earliest purple sand "pumpkin pot" was created by the famous artist Chen Ziqi in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. In the Kangxi period in the early Qing Dynasty, his son Chen Mingyuan "was better than blue".
Pumpkin is an important crop in China. It is often used by the Chinese to eulogize many sons and more blessings, long fortune, prosperous careers and fruitful achievements.
Inspired by nature, purple sand craftsmen bring a rustic, unmodified simplicity from the countryside. It is not easy to make a pumpkin pot, and the colorful pumpkin is even more difficult.Mr. Xu Dinghua's masterpiece - colorful pumpkin, has a realistic bionic effect, gradual mature colors, two-color mud matching, lifelike, it seems that it has just been picked from the vine.
IFREADING