Top Ten Most Expensive “Zisha” Teapots Sold in the Late 20th Century

In recent times, “Yixing” “Zisha” teapots have become one of the hottest collectible items, with masterpieces fetching millions of dollars. However, have you seen the early masterpieces of “Zisha” auctions? In the late 1970s and early 1980s, with the popularity of “Yixing” “Zisha” in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Singapore, major auction houses like Sotheby’s and Christie’s in Hong Kong began auctioning “Zisha” teapots. Due to the difficulty in dating “Zisha” ware and the limited number of surviving pieces, the quantities up for auction were very limited.

During that period, information transfer between Taiwan, Hong Kong, and mainland China was not smooth, making it difficult to ascertain the exact details of those auctions. However, industry insiders recall that the auctions were successful, influenced by the collecting and usage trends of “Zisha” teapots in Hong Kong and Taiwan. In 1978, at a Sotheby’s auction in Hong Kong, a “Zisha” teapot attributed to the Ming dynasty with a length of 16.5 cm and marked "Gong Chun" sold for HKD 66,000. Another teapot, 14 cm in length and marked "Shi Dabin," fetched HKD 63,800.

In 1994, the mainland Chinese art auction market began to emerge. China Guardian and Beijing “Hanhai”, two major auction houses, held their inaugural ceramics and miscellaneous auctions, which included “Zisha” teapots.

Let's take a look at the high-priced “Zisha” masterpieces sold in the 1990s.

1.  1978, Hong Kong Sotheby’s: Ming Dynasty "Gong Chun" “Zisha” teapot, 16.5 cm, sold for HKD 66,000.
2. 1978, Hong Kong Sotheby’s: Ming Dynasty "Shi Dabin" “Zisha” teapot, 14 cm, sold for HKD 63,800.
3. 1994, China Guardian: Qing Dynasty "Chen Mingyuan" “Zisha” teapot, sold for RMB 220,000.
4. 1995, Beijing “Hanhai”: Ming Dynasty "Shi Dabin" “Zisha” teapot, sold for RMB 280,000.
5. 1996, China Guardian: Qing Dynasty "Chen Hanwen" “Zisha” teapot, sold for RMB 300,000.
6. 1997, Beijing Poly: Ming Dynasty "Shi Dabin" “Zisha” teapot, sold for RMB 350,000.
7. 1998, Beijing “Hanhai”: Qing Dynasty "Yang Pengnian" “Zisha” teapot, sold for RMB 380,000.
8. 1999, China Guardian: Ming Dynasty "Gong Chun" “Zisha” teapot, sold for RMB 400,000.
9. 1999, Beijing Poly: Qing Dynasty "Chen Mansheng" “Zisha” teapot, sold for RMB 450,000.
10. 1999, Beijing “Hanhai”: Qing Dynasty "Sha Dabin" “Zisha” teapot, sold for RMB 500,000.

These high-priced “Zisha” teapots from the 1990s reflect the burgeoning interest and value attributed to “Yixing” “Zisha” ware during that period, setting the stage for the impressive auction records we see today.