Bonhams 1793 : An Yixing stoneware teapot and cover Tongzhi, signed He Xinzhou, incised by Xu Sangeng

27 May 2012 16:00 CST Hong Kong
Yixing stoneware and scholar's objects from private collections
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An Yixing stoneware teapot and cover

Tongzhi, signed He Xinzhou, incised by Xu Sangeng
The peach-shaped body with three vertical ribs at the axis, one side with incised inscription, between an unusual curved spout and a triple handle, surmouted by a matching dome cover also with three ribbed sections interspersed between three triangular shaped holes at the top, two square seal marks at the base and under the lower handle, fitted box.
14.8cm high. (3).

Sold for HK$ 980,000 inc. premium

Footnotes

This teapot is different from the commonly seen He-Mei collaborations. It was incised by the renowned late Qing dynasty seal-carver, Xu Sangeng (1826-1890). Xu's style name was Xingu, pseudonyms, Baohai and Xiuhai. A specialist in seal-carving, Xu enjoyed equal reputation with Wu Rangzhi and Zhao Zhiqian. Noted for his calligraphic prowess, bold and accurate incisions, spatial balance in his designs, Xu later cultivated his distinctive style. The base of this stoneware teapot is incised with the characters 'Riling Shanfang', also seen on his other wares jointly produced with Mei Tiaoding. This work, therefore, could be a collaborative endeavour amongst He Xinzhou, Mei Tiaoding and Xu Sangeng. Shanghai Museum has a zini 'ladybug' teapot, jointly created by quadruple Heng Yunmin, Bo Nianshu, Xiang Qike and Dongshi, in the same form as this teapot. See Gu Jingzhou, Yixing zisha zhenshang, Appreciation of Yixing Stonewares, Hong Kong, 1992, p.142, pl.137.

Illustrated 出版:
Ho Chien, Purple Clay. Wellington Wang's Collection of Yixing Wares, Taipei, 1993, p.68.
何健，《紫泥王度宜興珍藏冊》，奇園國際藝術中心，台北，1993，頁68。

清同治段泥椰瓢壺

「心舟」、「日嶺山房」篆文方印

「柳瓢，己卯秋，褒海」銘文

壺成瓢形，牛鼻形蓋，三彎短流，流口微偏向一側，三叉形壺把，造型別緻。段泥調砂作壺，別緻中帶有幾分粗曠。三條筋線紋從壺蓋至壺身延伸開，壺身陰刻「柳瓢」二字，落款「己卯秋」（1879年）「褒海」。壺把下鐫「心舟」方印，壺底鈐印「日嶺山房」。

何心舟，清同治、光緒時宜興製壺高手，號石林居士，另說號韻石，生卒不詳。因文獻記載匱乏，其生前字號難考，但從其傳世作品來看，無疑是清晚期成就最高的紫砂藝人。何心舟是練泥及調砂高手，他所製作的調砂壺質堅砂勻，粗而不糙，壺面光滑卻透氣良好。其作品多與文人雅士合作，最常見與晚清書法家梅調鼎（1839 - 1906）合作銘文茶壺，造型多仿柱礎、秦權、漢鐸、石瓢和瓜形等等，

此壺與常見何梅合作壺不同，為晚清著名篆刻家徐三庚所刻。徐三庚（1826 - 1890），字辛谷，號褒海、袖海，工篆隸，與吳讓之、趙之謙齊名，是晚期摹刻金石文字的高手，其用筆熟練，用刀細切利落，章法虛實相間，獨闢蹊徑，獨具風格。壺底所銘「日嶺山房」印則亦見於梅調鼎其他合作壺之上，可推斷此壺應為何心舟、梅調鼎、徐三庚三人合作。上海博物館藏一件清光緒五年四人合作紫泥瓢壺，為橫雲銘、伯年書、香畦刻、東石製，其形制與本壺一致，詳見顧景舟編，《宜興紫砂珍賞》，香港，2008年，頁142，圖版137。