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Teadrunk Forum → Chinese Teaware / 中国茶器 → Heartbreak (broken teaware sticky thread)
Sticky thread for pictures of your broken Chinese teaware... let us share your grief. Let's skip minor chips unless you're really broken-hearted about them, but anything else interesting is fair game. Of special interest are close-up shots of the inside of broken Yixing / Chaozhou pots.
Bottom seal is 经典陶坊, 100 ml zǐní zīshī pot (紫泥西施壶) from Stéphane of http://teamasters.blogspot.com/. The clay is a tiny bit less red than it appears in the picture (and the un-seasoned 200 ml one I have, which I believe is the same clay, is much less red looking and more purple). Jason F thought it was a dark red clay when he saw it recently in person, but I think it's zini. The pot wasn't rare or super expensive, but had already picked up a pretty nice shine from a year or two of use for aged oolongs, so it had some sentimental value. Hopefully I'll get a replacement lid for it one of these days.
One reason I started this thread is because the only silver lining in the dark stormcloud of broken pots is that you have a rare chance to see how the clay looks inside. I believe marshaln recently wrote that he had heard that if the color of the clay inside is darker than the surface of the same clay, it's a good sign; would be interested to know if anyone knows more about that, or has heard the same thing.
Click on the smaller image below to view a large version.
To me, it obviously looks like pin pei(mixing) done. You see a layer on broken surface and color is not one but various. Yixing pot's broken surface usually turns darker cos one factor of yixing clay's color is iron.
Jing Dian Tao Fang is a studio run by famous potter named Zhang Zheng Zhong, at least that's what I heard. If it's a genuine pot, at least I found one of reasons not to buy Jing Dian's!
1970s 50 ml #3 水平壶 (shuǐ píng pot) from http://jingteashop.com. This is part of a set of 12 (I only have #3 and #5) 内紫外红 (nèi zí wài hóng; see http://phyllsheng.blogspot.com/2006/11/ … -pots.html and / or http://houdeblog.com/?p=41 for more on this process, and a picture of another #5 pot). This morning, the #3 pot flew off the shelf when I was carelessly grabbing another pot. The lid broke.
The first picture is a contrast between the (unused) #3 pot and the (used) #5 pot, when both were intact. If you notice some minor brown areas on the #3 pot, I believe they're due to areas where the hong ni is thin, not to use / seasoning.
The color of the clay inside is much darker than in the previous post, even compared to the inside clay. Same lighting as the previous shot (specialized photo lighting, digital SLR, white-balanced) - somehow everything looks a little redder than it should, still.
click on the thumbnail to get a larger version:
Unlike the other two, this one wasn't broken by my own carelessness. It was broken either by the postal service (note to the Canadian postal employees who I know read this forum... I'm sure it was USPS, not you guys), or due to a firing defect. It was pretty well packed, but the handle still broke off in an interesting way.
1972 (well according to the text on the front) 水平壶 (shuǐ píng pot). Not sure of actual size - probably about 120 ml.
I guess it will make a good flower-pot. Fortunately, the shop had a similar one with almost the same design.
click on the image for a larger version. Sorry the close-ups aren't better.
Wow :(
I recently broke a (very cheap) hei ni yixing. I was pretty fond of it though. I had it sitting by the sink for a rinse when I grabbed a glass and ding!, knocked the little ball right off the top.
I was pretty bummed after something fell square on the spout of this kyuusu, but luckily I haven't broken any hand made pieces yet.
The best therapy for a broken pot seems to be buying two more.
Unlike the other two, this one wasn't broken by my own carelessness. It was broken either by the postal service (note to the Canadian postal employees who I know read this forum... I'm sure it was USPS, not you guys), or due to a firing defect. It was pretty well packed, but the handle still broke off in an interesting way.
I will update the thread with better pictures when I get a chance.
I guess it will make a good flower-pot.
i had this happen to me too, the handle was broken in bits while in transit in a small little box. what my shipper should have done is to put the tea pot box inside another bigger box with padding/bubblewrap.
i store my lids and my pots seperately. lids in a box and the pots on the shelf. when i need a pot, i grab it carefully with my whole hand, cupping it. take your time. one of the many aspects of cha dao is that it forces us to take our time with tea drinking and thus making the whole tea drinking highly pleasurable.
i had this happen to me too, the handle was broken in bits while in transit in a small little box. what my shipper should have done is to put the tea pot box inside another bigger box with padding/bubblewrap.
Yeah - it was packed that way, though maybe a tiny bit too loose inside the small box. And there was no visible damage to the outside box. But I think it took some rough handling (no pun intended) in addition to possibly some sort of firing defect for the pot to break. Luckily the seller had a similar pot that would work with the (unbroken) lid, so I have a replacement now.
My girlfriend made this piece of art out of a broken teacup that broke perfectly in half. It's in the hallway, visible from the living room where I usually brew tea.. should serve as a good reminder to be careful.
[click for larger image]
To me, it obviously looks like pin pei(mixing) done. You see a layer on broken surface and color is not one but various. Yixing pot's broken surface usually turns darker cos one factor of yixing clay's color is iron.
I think if the clay was blended it would be uniform throughout the cross section. It is much more likely that the difference in color is due to the firing process. If you look at a yaobian (窑变) pot the color inside and out are very different. Most clays will vary widely depending on the firing temp, and this one might have been fired at just the right temp where the outside began to change, but the inside, being somewhat protected from the heat (as yixing pots are fired with the lid on the pot) did not change. This is all just wild conjecture, but I have seen a lot of post which have different colors inside and out which were not a result of different clays like 内紫外红／舔浆 or pinpei.
I know cracks and chips are not usually fair game for a heartbreak forum, but this counts because it happened on the first use of the piece. I poured in some hot water, and after about 40 seconds there was a resounding pop, and I found a crack all the way through. This may be my fault because it was set on a cold stone counter (there is no heat in southern China.) I had just brought this all the way home, having to switch buses twice, and I got it back in one piece only to have it break on its first use. I might try to get it replaced anyway. Is celadon usually this sensitive to heat, or was it just the contrast between the cold stone and hot water, or is this piece just defective?
I know cracks and chips are not usually fair game for a heartbreak forum, but this counts because it happened on the first use of the piece. I poured in some hot water, and after about 40 seconds there was a resounding pop, and I found a crack all the way through. This may be my fault because it was set on a cold stone counter (there is no heat in southern China.) I had just brought this all the way home, having to switch buses twice, and I got it back in one piece only to have it break on its first use. I might try to get it replaced anyway. Is celadon usually this sensitive to heat, or was it just the contrast between the cold stone and hot water, or is this piece just defective?
If it's not intended by the person who glazed the piece, it is in fact a defect and it's called crazing. If it's desirable it'll most likely be called crackle glaze, or something similar.
LaoChaGui wrote:I know cracks and chips are not usually fair game for a heartbreak forum, but this counts because it happened on the first use of the piece. I poured in some hot water, and after about 40 seconds there was a resounding pop, and I found a crack all the way through. This may be my fault because it was set on a cold stone counter (there is no heat in southern China.) I had just brought this all the way home, having to switch buses twice, and I got it back in one piece only to have it break on its first use. I might try to get it replaced anyway. Is celadon usually this sensitive to heat, or was it just the contrast between the cold stone and hot water, or is this piece just defective?
If it's not intended by the person who glazed the piece, it is in fact a defect and it's called crazing. If it's desirable it'll most likely be called crackle glaze, or something similar.
The problem I have with it is that the piece cracked all the way through. The crack is not just limited to the glaze. I really like the crackle glaze, and bought a bunch of pices like that. I was just wondering if most pieces like this are so sensitive to heat that they will crack on application of hot water (all the way through, not just the glaze) or if it was the cold stone beneath the piece which caused the crack. Is this a defective piece, or should I have been doing more to protect it?
thanks wrote:LaoChaGui wrote:I know cracks and chips are not usually fair game for a heartbreak forum, but this counts because it happened on the first use of the piece. I poured in some hot water, and after about 40 seconds there was a resounding pop, and I found a crack all the way through. This may be my fault because it was set on a cold stone counter (there is no heat in southern China.) I had just brought this all the way home, having to switch buses twice, and I got it back in one piece only to have it break on its first use. I might try to get it replaced anyway. Is celadon usually this sensitive to heat, or was it just the contrast between the cold stone and hot water, or is this piece just defective?
If it's not intended by the person who glazed the piece, it is in fact a defect and it's called crazing. If it's desirable it'll most likely be called crackle glaze, or something similar.
The problem I have with it is that the piece cracked all the way through. The crack is not just limited to the glaze. I really like the crackle glaze, and bought a bunch of pices like that. I was just wondering if most pieces like this are so sensitive to heat that they will crack on application of hot water (all the way through, not just the glaze) or if it was the cold stone beneath the piece which caused the crack. Is this a defective piece, or should I have been doing more to protect it?
I'm sure the stone didn't help, but then again it doesn't look to be very thin. How cold was it temperature-wise from acquisition to first use? That would probably be the biggest factor.
In other news, I really really really hoped I'd never contribute with a picture to this specific thread, but my Hongni shui ping pot took a big fall today resulting in a chipped lid :( It's still usable, and on the bright side the inside clay looks like a much darker red than the outside (which I heard was a good thing.)
Sorry for the crappy picture quality, it's due to my crappy camera.
I'm sure the stone didn't help, but then again it doesn't look to be very thin. How cold was it temperature-wise from acquisition to first use? That would probably be the biggest factor.
Does the temp. of the piece from aquisition to first use matter more than the temp. between later uses with ceramic ware? Very interesting.
It is always cold in Southern China during the winter. There is no heat in the houses or in most small shops. So I think the bowl was probably around hight 30's to 40*F. I have never had water left overnight freeze, so it was probably never lower than that. Thanks for your response.
Similar to Thanks, and not quite keeping with the rules, I have recently chipped a new favorite pot of mine. I am continuing to use it out of love for the clay and craftsmanship. I was pretty upset about this one for a few days, but I went back to using it and it is still pouring great tea.
brandon, very sorry to hear about your pot.
I would like to make a photo request... could you take a picture so we can see the color of the inside of the chipped place? Thanks!
Had a hard time getting a crisp close up, my 50mm prime lens doesn't have a super close focal range. Hopefully you can make out some detail.
That was amazingly fast. The picture is pretty clear when you click on the link and blow it up.
One reason I started this thread is because the only silver lining in the dark stormcloud of broken pots is that you have a rare chance to see how the clay looks inside. I believe marshaln recently wrote that he had heard that if the color of the clay inside is darker than the surface of the same clay, it's a good sign; would be interested to know if anyone knows more about that, or has heard the same thing.
The color of your clay seems just about the same on the outside as the inside.
Any comments from anyone?
Nice pot, brandon. :)
Similar to Thanks, and not quite keeping with the rules, I have recently chipped a new favorite pot of mine. I am continuing to use it out of love for the clay and craftsmanship. I was pretty upset about this one for a few days, but I went back to using it and it is still pouring great tea.
Same thing here. After I got over the initial shock of a chipped lid, I decided to boil it in tea seed powder, and change it's use from aged pu'er to dancong. It's now producing fantastic results! So I guess it was another silver lining over here.
Saw this the other day. Good thing for heart-broken people. But I guess nowadays repairing a teapot costs more than an expensive teapot :-p
Not translation needed. Pictures are enough :D
http://teabbs.zjol.com.cn/thread-47521-1-1.html
http://teabbs.zjol.com.cn/viewthread.ph … amp;page=2
Not so happy about this one... broke in transit:
click on the thumbnail to get a larger version:
Teadrunk Forum → Chinese Teaware / 中国茶器 → Heartbreak (broken teaware sticky thread)
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