The Most Expensive Zhuni Teapots Ever Auctioned
Unlike the depth of zini, the restraint of duanni, and the cool elegance of lüni, zhuni is direct and passionate, like a brilliant, colorful sunset in autumn, like fire and light. One glance is enough to hold the eye. Zhuni teapots have long been cherished by collectors for their unique character, standing like a solitary flower among the calm, weighty, understated, and antique zisha pots.
Yet zhuni is difficult to work with. Its success rate is lower than that of other clays. Because zhuni has a small particle ratio and high shrinkage during drying and firing, it easily develops wrinkles, deformation, cracking, and other flaws. For this reason, zhuni teapots are harder to make than zini or duanni, and famous masters made relatively few of them. Many believe zhuni remains undervalued. Below are 14 of the most famous and expensive zhuni teapots ever sold at auction, revealing the charm of the finest zhuni work past and present.
01. Qing Kangxi, Chen Mingyuan’s Zhuni Dingmao Teapot for Yang Zhongne
Auction: Xiling Yinshe 2022 Spring Auction
Price realized: approx. USD 3,833,333
This teapot was made by Chen Mingyuan for Yang Duanmu, a zhongyun official. Before Duanmu rose to prominence, many inscriptions on Mingyuan’s works were written by him. The lid was so well fitted that it could lift the entire pot by suction, even Shi Dabin could not have surpassed it. It was once kept by Zhu Tongchuan at Fantong Shanfang and recorded in Mingtao Lu. During the Tongzhi, Guangxu period it passed to Wu Kezhai, who gave it to He Gong of Daozhou as payment for a stele inscription for his ancestor. In the early Republic, He Xingshu exchanged it for ancient jade; it was later obtained by Chu Litang, a friend of the same examination year. Gong Zhao bought it through various hands, and it happened to be a Dingmao year. Two hundred and forty years after the Kangxi Dingmao year, the pot entered the Gong family of Hefei. After the Zhu family, its transmission was unclear; from Tongzhi–Guangxu onward it passed through six collectors: Wu Qingqing, He Zizhen, Chu Litang, Jing Hengyi, Qian Chongfu, and Chen Weiquan. Recorded again in Bingxu, at the age of seventy-seven.
02. Gu Jingzhou , Low Shipiao
Auction: Jiangsu Hexin 2016 Autumn Auction
Price realized: approx. USD 2,083,333
This is a Shipiao form, a specialty of Gu Jingzhou, but made in zhuni, the most difficult clay to form. The clay is superb, with a warm, smooth color and an inner, elegant bearing. The pot has a low body, slanting belly, short curved spout, and a handle with a molded button. The lid is slightly domed with an arched bridge knob. It rests on three nipple-like feet, each with a small air hole at the center to prevent deformation during firing. One side is incised with a literati scholar sitting under a pine, head turned back, knees bent; the carving is skilled and natural. The other side is incised with: “With wolfberry and chrysanthemum I offer wine; with plum-blossom snow I brew tea. Fragrance floats from sparrow-tongue tea, soothing my heart.”
03. Qing Kangxi , Chen Mingyuan’s Large Zhuni Pumpkin Teapot
Auction: China Guardian 2021 Autumn Auction
Price realized: approx. USD 1,181,944
The entire piece is made from typical early Qing sand-bearing zhuni, with firm, dense grit and an ochre-red clay color. The kiln fire was perfectly controlled, producing a brilliant luster. On close inspection, the clay is fine with coarse sand, thin-skinned yet thick-fleshed, glossy and moving, just like the texture of a melon rind. The distinctive Kangxi clay feeling runs through the whole vessel. Because the body is tall, Chen Mingyuan borrowed the Ming-era jar technique and divided the body into three sections, melon neck, melon belly, and melon base, joined top and bottom. The lower body is full like a ball, with restrained inner tension; ribbed lobes and segments rise and interact, the lines and surfaces alternating between contraction and expansion, as if breathing, with tendon and flesh, light and shadow flowing, full of vitality. The spout is not conventional but is formed from a rolled leaf, a common technique of Chen Mingyuan. This clever rolled-leaf spout also appears on the “Dongling Melon Pot” in the Nanjing Museum and the “Hezheng Melon Pot” formerly in the collection of Luo Guixiang of Hong Kong. Below the spout on the left is an incised regular-script inscription “Made by Mingyuan,” with a square seal “Chen Mingyuan” in raised seal script.
04. Qianlong Mark, Zhuni Imperial Wanshou Teapot
Auction: Xiling Yinshe 2015 Autumn Auction
Price realized: approx. USD 814,583
This zhuni Wanshou, or “Ten Thousand Longevity,” teapot is a fine Qianlong-period example of applied clay decoration. It has a tall xu-bian form, finely made of zhuni with dense, warm clay. The body is decorated with one hundred “shou” longevity characters in applied clay. The belly, foot, and edges of the lid are further decorated with fret or meander patterns. The overall impression is elegant and luxurious, offering a glimpse of the prosperity of the Qing dynasty.
05. Imperial Gilt-Decorated Zhuni Teapot with Poetry, Landscape, and Hexagonal Lotus-Seed Form
Auction: Beijing Poly 2010 Autumn Auction
Price realized: approx. USD 497,778
The form is round with square elements, evolved from three-dimensional geometry. Lines and planes create a rising and falling rhythm, combining strength and softness. The shape is concise and generous, honest and simple, well proportioned. The clay is fine and clean, and the workmanship is exquisite. The spirit and charm are excellent; although the body is thin, it is very stable. The gilt landscape painting is clearly visible, and the whole pot displays an air of elegance and luxury.
06. Ming Dynasty ,Zhuni Qunhua Teapot
Auction: Beijing Yuanfang 2012 Autumn Auction
Price realized: approx. USD 479,167
The body is shaped like a rectangular rhombic flower petal. Viewed from above, it is left-right symmetrical, precisely divided, with beautiful, moving lines. The rhombic flower knob and pedestal rise high. The matching three-bend spout corresponds to the handle, forming a single line of qi. The whole vessel has full ribbed patterns, with gentle turns at the edges and corners, strength and softness succeeding each other. The mouth and handle connect, and the neck draws inward. The conception is nimble and ingenious, almost unimaginable. The body is slightly tall, with a concealed ring foot, revealing a graceful posture. The lid can rotate both ways and fit tightly, with no gap at all.
07. Gu Jingzhou , Zhuni Bowl-Lamp Teapot
Auction: Jiangsu Guanyu 2023 Spring Auction
Price realized: approx. USD 263,542
The “Bowl Lamp” is one of the traditional zisha forms. Gu Jingzhou changed the short curved spout into a straight spout, making the echo between spout and handle more distinct. The overall lines turn softness into strength, and a dignified air emerges. “Bowl Lamp” is a very rare variety among Gu’s works. The body is shaped like a flat bowl lamp; the clay is bright red, the body fine, and the touch warm. The shoulder, spout, and handle are connected all around, subtly joining edges within roundness, giving depth of form and continuity of qi.
08. Kangxi , Zhuni Deer-Knob Squirrel-and-Grape Teapot
Auction: Beijing Juli 2015 Autumn Auction
Price realized: approx. USD 255,556
The body is taken from a tree stump, and the whole vessel is applied with squirrels and grapes. The sculptural knob is a plum deer with bent legs and raised head. A plum trunk serves as the spout, with a bamboo branch attached, taking the meaning of the “double purity” of plum and bamboo. A grapevine forms the handle, extending grape leaves and branches upward; several squirrels leap among them, lively and nimble, rising and falling, echoing the plum deer on the lid.
09. Qing Daoguang ,Ji’an Zhuni Ziyi Shipiao
Auction: Zhongmao Shengjia 2021 Autumn Auction
Price realized: approx. USD 255,556
The Shipiao form is one of the Mansheng forms, embodying literati interest. Together with “Mansheng pots,” it is a classic of literati teapots. Qu Ziyi was the first to popularize painting on teapots, and “Ziyi Shipiao” has become synonymous with this form. Its main features are a small top and large bottom; the decoration is designed to be viewed from above as a flat picture. The body is pyramid-like with a low center of gravity, stable in use. The spout is a short, powerful straight tube with smooth pouring. Spout, mouth, and handle form a horizontal line, scientifically sound and dignified.
10. Republic Period ,Gu Jingzhou Zhuni Inverted Pear Teapot
Auction: Beijing Yuanfang 2013 Autumn Auction
Price realized: approx. USD 255,556
This pot was made in Gu Jingzhou’s early period. It is made of zhuni; the clay is fine, the surface smooth, the color red and moist, with restrained luster and excellent visual and tactile quality. The body is round and full, presenting a well-proportioned, plump, precious appearance. The single-bend spout is slender and powerful, rising from the body. The loop handle bends with measure and strength. The cut lid is domed, set with a vermilion knob, perfectly integrated with the body. The treatment of point, line, and plane is round, smooth, simple, and antique. Although the body is small, the low ring foot supports it so that the whole vessel appears extraordinary.
11. Gu Jingzhou ,Zhuni Hehuan Teapot
Auction: China Guardian 2011 Spring Auction
Price realized: approx. USD 239,583
This teapot is made of zhuni and is an early work by Gu Jingzhou. The form is exquisite and the workmanship fine. Although it is a traditional shape, a slight modification to the spout gives it a completely new look. Though small, it is expansive and generous. Held in the hand, it truly gives the feeling of “purple jade and golden sand.”
12. Republic Period ,Yu Guoliang Zhuni Square Chuanlu Teapot
Auction: Shanghai Chunqiutang 2011 Autumn Auction
Price realized: approx. USD 239,583
This teapot is made of zhuni; the sandy clay is finely washed and refined, the color brilliant but not overly seductive, also known as “Da Hong Pao,” or “Great Red Robe.” The body is square, with a full bulging belly and simple, well-arranged edges. The three-bend spout extends outward; the handle rises. The lid is square with rounded corners, its lip thick, the lid surface flat and slightly domed, with a central knob like an abacus bead. The form is square within round and round within square, well proportioned, like a pearl and jade, such skill fully deserves its reputation.
13. Gu Jingzhou , Shuiping Teapot
Auction: China Guardian 2013 Spring Auction
Price realized: approx. USD 191,667
This teapot is made of zhuni and is extremely small and lovely. The body resembles a pear, round and full, with a straight spout, ear-shaped handle, ring foot, and a pressed lid with a pearl knob. The lines are smooth and beautiful; the form is balanced, upright, and gentle. Its refined craftsmanship and dense structure require the maker to possess superb skill and deep mastery.
14. Wang Yinchun , Zhuni Plum Blossom Zhoupan Teapot
Auction: Beijing Kuangshi 2014 Spring Auction
Price realized: approx. USD 183,681
This Plum Blossom Zhoupan is a representative work by Wang Yinchun. The lines are crisp and clear, and the lid fits precisely and tightly. It both inherits tradition and breaks through its restraints, bearing Wang’s strong personality. The material is zhuni, the most difficult clay to form; the shape is a ribbed petal-form vessel, which demands the highest technical skill. Every part is clean and neat, impeccable, displaying extremely high craftsmanship, almost unmatched.
written by siyutao art team
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