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Late Ming Dynasty “Monk Hanhui” Inscribed Square and Flat Teapot
China Trade Shengjia 2022 Autumn Auction
Price Realized: RMB 9,315,000
This pot resembles the 'Square and Flat' style, crafted from zisha with a delicate texture and an antique elegance. The body of the pot bulges in the middle and tapers at the top and bottom, with meticulous craftsmanship evident throughout. The pot's knob is solid and square, and the four sides are well-proportioned. The spout and handle are designed to retract at the front and extend at the back, embodying a dynamic and poised posture, both in motion and stillness. The entire pot is simple and elegant, with exquisite craftsmanship, and the bottom is engraved with "Monk Hanhui’s Tea Treasure."
Of course, Hanhui is widely known for the story of "Hanhui Copying Scriptures": One day, Hanhui was copying the "Jinggang Jing" in the Heavenly King Temple, using very particular ink and brush. When he was copying the sixteenth section, the sky gradually darkened, but the monk was so focused that he forgot to light a lamp.
He copied the scriptures in regular script with great neatness until he finished in the middle of the night, then suddenly remembered that there was no lamp lit in the meditation room, and at that moment he felt the darkness before his eyes.
He hurriedly asked someone to light a lamp and saw that the completed scripture was copied with neat handwriting, just as usual. Some say that Hanhui copying the scriptures is a testament to the power of sincerity, but I would rather believe that this is the result of years of muscle memory, just like the generations of Zisha potters who work diligently and with focus, presenting us with pieces that will forever shine in the history of Zisha, eternal masterpieces.
