《景舟石瓢》顾景舟～吴湖帆～唐云 "Jing Zhou Shi Piao ~ famous iteration : Gu Jing Zhou historic collaboration with Wu Hu Fan, as a gift to Tang Yun", 171.1ml, in Rare Zhu Sha 朱砂 (highest granularity form of Zhu Ni), Craftsman Fan Xiao Zhi 范小智。
《景舟石瓢》顾景舟～吴湖帆～唐云 "Jing Zhou Shi Piao ~ famous iteration : Gu Jing Zhou historic collaboration with Wu Hu Fan, as a gift to Tang Yun", in rare *Zhu Sha 朱砂 (highest granularity form of ZhuNi), Craftsman Fan Xiao Zhi 范小智。
Craftsmen and Artists, say: "a ZiSha pot will behave like a jelly, wobbly like a jelly, once inside the kiln. What comes out of it, we shall see, and we shall only pray."
We cherish every single successful one, regardless of the price. Each is the result of much hard work and experience of the Craftsman, and definitely a certain degree of good luck during firing ~for the convection currents in the kiln is never totally uniform. We also depend on the (窑)气氛 within the kiln. Each completed batch of three, can all totally fail. We cherish every surviving one.
Jing Zhou Shi Piao here BEING SPECIALLY CRAFTED at ~175ml!!! to cater for our tea friends who want a small and beautiful JING ZHOU SHI PIAO pot for Gung Fu tea steepings, and suitable for one to three persons!
《景舟石瓢》Jing Zhou Shi Piao ~ classic and famous iteration: collaboration of Gu Jing Zhou with Wu Hu Fan!
First, the history and background of this ultra-classic Jing Zhou Shi Piao:
This, in the auction information above, is the most famous Jing Zhou Shi Piao which legendary maestro Gu Jing Zhou had crafted in collaboration with Wu Hu Fan 吴湖帆。
~ the version created by the late Gu Jing Zhou in collaboration with Wu Hu Fan: 吴湖帆 Wu Hu Fan did the bamboo painting and calligraphy on the Shi Piao that Gu Jing Zhou had crafted. Gu Jing Zhou 顾景舟 himself performed the engraving upon Wu Hu Fan's completed painting and calligraphy. After Gu Jing Zhou fires it successfully, they gave it as a gift to 唐云 Tang Yun, who is a famous painter and acclaimed ZiSha collector in the late Min Guo Republic era.
The actual historical piece was auctioned at ~USD4,000,000 at the 2015 Beijing Jindong auction house. Most of us can never have it in our lives, but ZiSha Art collection in our homes, is also about honouring traditions and the esteemed classics.
Yes, this quintessential Jing Zhou Shi Piao by Gu Jing Zhou and Wu Hu Fan.
We honor these two Maestros Gu Jing Zhou and Wu Hu Fan with this recreated piece by Craftsman Zhao Huai Xu!
Note that 吴湖帆 Wu Hu Fan's byname is Wu Qian 吴倩,
and, 唐云 Tang Yun's byname is Yao Cheng 药城。
There are more about this piece crafted by Zhao Huai Xu:
This Jing Zhou Shi Piao stands at only ~175ml in volume! Jing Zhou Shi Piao is an ultra classic of our ZiSha fraternity, born of the legendary Gu Jing Zhou's genius design mind, and Craftsman Zhao Huai Xu here in our team embarked upon creating and crafting the smallest Jing Zhou Shi Piao amenable for most tea people's practice in modern times. Keeping the same pretty side silhouette as the prettiest Jing Zhou Shi Piaos known (but often crafted beyond 220ml), our uncle Cao An Xiang advised for a mild lowering (-1mm) of the upper brim/water level line, so that the lid that caps out on top, will be afforded a bigger gap (+1mm) that exists in the loop between A) the top of the lid knob, vs B) the ventilation hole below. This is very important because it creates more space for the Tea Master to grip the lid knob!
Under the stewardship and eyes of our aunt Cao Lan Fang, Craftsman Zhao Huai Xu 赵怀须 crafted the Jing Zhou Shi Piao in this Da Shui Tan Lao Zi Ni 大水潭老紫泥, while Chen Yu 陈羽 crafted in Zhi Ma Duan 芝麻段。
Thank you for Craftsmen Zhao Huai Xu for painstakingly mastering this difficult shape, that is this Jing Zhou Shi Piao piece, making the required modification and thereby created this very lovable small volume Jing Zhou Shi Piao! A must-have classic, with engraving of Plum Blossoms and Poem, the hard work and creating this smallest Jing Zhou Shi Piao for all!
You will find it a joy, savouring this ~175ml small volume Jing Zhou Shi Piao!
Just for reference, and further understanding:
The famous and original Jing Zhou Shi Piao created by Gu Jing Zhou and Wu Hu Fan, stands at ~600ml and the lid knob is amenable to being gripped and lifted off.
The original 600ml piece by the legend Gu Jing Zhou and Wu Hu Fan is (auctioned at 27,025,000RMB, Year 2015).
Beautiful form, mastered in ZHU SHA 朱砂 by Craftsman Fan Xiao Zhi!
Craftsman Fan Xiao Zhi has returned from crafting with our uncle Cao An Xiang, making small works for temples for donations! Here he has joined Craftsman Gu Xiao Ming, in CRAFTING ZHU SHA special works!!! The Mini Xi Shi in Zhu Sha has never been done at RealZiSha, our team task him to craft the popular Mini! Xi Shi in Zhu Sha. He took on the task and completed it with absolute perfection!
Zhu Sha is the highest granularity form of Zhu Ni known to us in the ZiSha fraternity. And it is exactly famous for its high granularity! This is proper Yuan Kuang Zhu Sha, and is rare and more costly. Zhu Sha works have the same success rate during firing as Zi Ni and most Duan Ni. However, Zhu Sha is "notorious" for its highly granularity, and Artists and Craftsmen find it difficult to craft because it is 很疏松, very, very "loose" (not pasty) and Artists and Craftsmen during forming the pot, have to acquire AND GET USED to special skill sets to handle and work on it! Firing is not an issue, success rate is high, but crafting is extremely tricky and tiresome. However, the result is to be savoured. It brews excellently, Aged Sheng Pu Er, and Shu Pu Er. Some of our Tea Masters local and abroad, swear by it for these applications! Many favour Zhu Sha 朱砂, Xiao Hong Ni 小红泥, Da Hong Ni 大红泥(Yuan Kuang Da Hong Pao 原矿大红袍) and Hong Jiang Po Ni 红降坡泥 for this application.
Zhu Sha 朱砂 (highest granularity form of ZhuNi):
ZiSha Art is the most amazing carrier medium, housing Five aspects of Chinese Cultural Arts!
1. Fully-Handmade ZiSha Art and Craft,
2. Painting,
3. Calligraphy,
4. Poetry,
5. Engraving Art and Craft.
Hold, Use and Keep relishing all five aspects of our Chinese Culture in your daily life, in solitude, in practice, during hospitality to family and friends alike!
Savour the journey, dearest Friends :-D
Bring this home early for more brilliant tea tastings with your guests, or by yourself!
Assuming right-handed use,
Wu Hu Fan's famous Bamboo painting as inscribed by Gu Jing Zhou, faces the Tea Master,
This Famous Verse chosen by Gu Jing Zhou and Wu Hu Fan, is written by Wu Hu Fan in Kai Shu 楷书 Calligraphy Style, and faces the Guests,
"无客尽日静，有风终夜凉。"
"整日没有访客来打扰，四下清净安宁；晚风徐徐吹拂，整夜都透着清凉。
No visitors came to disturb the peace all day, and the surroundings were quiet and peaceful; a gentle evening breeze blew, and the whole night was cool.
Dearest friends, enjoy your tea!
Get ready for steeping Aged Sheng and Shu Pu Er!
Craftsman Fan Xiao Zhi is very happy to be crafting superb classics for all of us! Together in a team here in YiXing, he thanks you dearest friends for your grandest support to the honest and dedicated Craftsmen left to fend the Fully-Handmade ZiSha Art. Enjoy his diligence, excellent handwork with this Xi Shi and let his work accompany you on your tea journey!
Past months of practice, trial and error, getting used to this Zhu Sha and sending specimens to firing for the ideal colour~texture~surface feel, all of us are finally happy with its appearance and success!
Do cherish this ZhuSha used, rarer clay, delectably vermillion-reddish, granular and highly tactile!!
Enjoy affordable ZiSha works by our Craftsmen and Artists :-D !!!
Craftsmen and Artists, say: "a ZiSha pot will behave like a jelly, wobbly like a jelly, once inside the kiln. What comes out of it, we shall see, and we shall only pray."
We cherish every single successful one, regardless of the price. Each is the result of much hard work, experience and definitely a certain degree of good luck during firing
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BRING ONE HOME, USE IT and you will know all about Fully-Handmade ZiSha, the feel of real and quality YiXing ZiSha, the nurturing of Patina, how the true Patina feels and looks like, the Aura exuded from a Fully-Handmade Pot which others simply can't bring forth, and, Craftsman Fan Xiao Zhi's skills, savour the pour. You will know everything then.
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Hold one, hold up one, swing his work around. Carefully examine his Fully-Handmade work. Look at it from afar, from near, and it will grow on you. The whole piece grow on you because 1) he takes reference from what the Senior Masters chose for him, 2) and he amazingly crafts them up EXACTLY as to what the Senior Masters want from him: extreme fine detailing with MUCH THOUGHT on each part, with MUCH TIME spent on every part, section. Because this is what Fully-Handmade ZiSha Art should be, and HOW FULLY-HANDMADE ZISHA ART is so different from and light years ahead of the ubiquitous jigger-machined pots and half-handmade pots masquerading under the sales tagline of "fully-handmade zisha" pots. These latter JM/HHM pots are made in what we call 流水线 a.k.a. 'Factory-Line operation' whereby the main pot body after being jigger-machined or coming off from the mould, is passed to the next worker who fits on the spout, and subsequently this second worker will pass the pot on to another worker who will in turn fit on the handle. Continuing so, the pressed lid is likewise passed to another worker who fit on the lid knob. EACH WORKER has NO IDEA what the other one is doing, and they are always working on fixed time lines stated by the boss. For example, the worker being "passed the baton" a pot with the spout just fixed onto the body by his colleague, will only focus on fixing on the handle, with nil to little regard to WHETHER THE HANDLE fixed on will be cohesive with the spout. Each worker has NO idea of HOW THE FINAL POT WILL LOOK LIKE. Beyond poor craftsmanship and clay, the result of such processes are ugly pots with poor cohesiveness which experienced Artists, Craftsmen and collectors will tell from a metre away. Experienced people in us, do not need to pick up a pot to check whether it is fully-handmade or made of zisha, we can tell from a metre away just by looking at the pot.
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The keywords are: Detailing and Cohesiveness.
Do own one. They make amazing tea, with very slight muting effect on any bitterness in the tea leaves during steeping, and heightening their "refreshed"-ness and slight sweetness!
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A GOOD Fully-Handmade ZiSha Work combines great detailing and cohesiveness.
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