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In the late 1940s, the Zisha master Gu Jingzhou was introduced by Dai Xiangming, the owner of “Tiehuaxuan”, to several renowned calligraphers and painters, including Jiang Handing, Tang Yun, Wu Hufan, Wang Renfu, and Lai Chusheng. After multiple in-depth interactions, these artists provided Gu with a rich variety of perspectives that greatly influenced his creative ideas and artistic style. According to historical records, in 1948, Gu Jingzhou meticulously crafted five “Shi Piao” teapots. Wu Hufan inscribed poems on them, and artists such as Wu Hufan and Jiang Handing painted bamboo and plum motifs on them. After firing, Gu kept one for himself and gifted the other four to Wu Hufan, Dai Xiangming, Jiang Handing, and Tang Yun. These five teapots, combining pottery, calligraphy, painting, and engraving, are considered masterpieces rich in literati spirit. In the spring auction of 2010, the "Xiangming Shi Piao Teapot," one of these five teapots, set a historical auction record for Zisha art. Five years later, another "Da Shi Piao" teapot doubled its previous auction price, once again highlighting the market's enthusiasm for Gu Jingzhou's works. It is known that Gu Jingzhou made the teapot's body, Wu Hufan inscribed it with running script, and Gu engraved the lively bamboo branches using the double-knife technique. The bottom seal, carved by Wang Renfu, reads "Dai Xiangming," and the lid seal, carved by Ren Shubo, reads "Gu Jingzhou."
The art of Zisha pottery engraving has always been regarded as a sister art to Zisha teapot crafting. From the "Mansheng Teapots" of the Qing Dynasty to the "Jingzhou Shi Piao" of modern times, Zisha pottery engraving has developed over nearly two centuries. Thanks to the efforts of potters like Chen Mansheng, Chen Shaoting, Ren Ganting, and numerous other artisans who remained behind the scenes, Zisha pottery engraving has become the most widely used decorative method in modern Zisha pottery.
Zisha pottery engraving and teapot crafting share the same origins. Pottery engraving is both a material and a spiritual product, blending with poetry, calligraphy, and painting, creating a rich cultural and literary flavor that satisfies people's aesthetic and appreciation needs. The integration and mutual enhancement of pottery engraving and teapot crafting on the same medium are the main reasons why collectors continually value the former, ultimately forming its unique system.
Compared to other art forms such as bronze ware, bells and tripods, stone carvings, wood carvings, ivory carvings, lacquer ware, and glassware, the earliest engravings in Chinese history appeared on pottery. Pottery inscriptions emerged more than a thousand years before oracle bone script, but it was only after the Song Dynasty that Zisha pottery engraving gained widespread recognition as a unique decorative technique. By the mid-Ming Dynasty, the modern concept of Zisha teapot making entered its golden age, with many renowned craftsmen emerging. Scholars widely acknowledge that the founding fathers of Zisha teapots inscribed their names on their works. For example, the master potter Shi Dabin's later teapots featured inscribed mottoes and aphorisms, as well as his own engraved stone works. By the late Qing Dynasty, pottery shops began to hire local scholars to engrave Zisha teapots part-time. These scholars, with their profound skills in calligraphy and painting, developed exquisite techniques and diverse styles, making the inscriptions elegant and appreciated by both the refined and the popular tastes.
The refined, ancient, and elegant texture achieved by high-temperature oxidation firing distinguishes Zisha pottery engraving from other calligraphic engraving arts such as wood and stone carvings. Although it is the final process in Zisha pottery making, it holds the highest cultural content. Carving on the uneven and complex shapes of pottery blanks, the engravers bring traditional calligraphy to life with endless variations—sometimes dignified and ancient, sometimes noble and elegant, sometimes lively and graceful, and sometimes rugged and imposing. Achieving a smooth, fluid, and extraordinary artistic realm in pottery engraving is exceedingly difficult. Therefore, showcasing the charm of calligraphy through pottery engraving, and highlighting the elegance of pottery engraving through calligraphy, is the artistic dream of every pottery calligrapher. Since the Qing Dynasty's Chen Mansheng, more and more literati and renowned painters have directly participated in the creation of pottery engraving art, leading to its rapid development and the establishment of a complete system and unique artistic form.
Various engraving techniques are used on teapots, including intaglio, relief, and deep carving. The techniques involve single-knife, double-knife, forward-cut, side-cut, and reverse-cut methods, as well as clean carving, colored carving, wet carving, dry carving, and sand carving. Later, floral patterns and designs were introduced on floral teapots, adding new technical content to pottery inscriptions. General craftsmanship gradually formed into experienced techniques and operational methods. The professional team of Zisha pottery engraving quickly expanded, producing many renowned artists and successors.
Among the prominent pottery engravers are Chen Shaoting and Ren Ganting. Ren Ganting's works are characterized by vigorous brushstrokes, delicate knife work, and styles ranging from regular script to cursive and seal script, each with its unique charm. His distinctive style and significant influence have made him a master of Zisha pottery engraving.
