Xu Youquan
Look at the three feet beneath the rounded body of C81.504. Its lid repeats the divisions of the body, while a short spout turns an ancient vessel outline into a teapot. This catalogue example introduces Xu Youquan through objects associated with his name, before asking how securely that association can be understood.
On this page
Three feet and a divided body#
The Hong Kong catalogue identifies C81.504 as a teapot in the shape of an ancient he vessel, with the signature “[Xu] Youquan”, and dates it to the early seventeenth century. In the photograph, the vertical divisions continue from the body into the lid: form is carried through the whole vessel, rather than added as isolated decoration.
Catalogue no. 8, printed p. 59 / PDF 65, gives height 12.4 cm and width 8.2 cm. The caption does not define the width’s endpoints or distinguish body height from height with the lid. The detached detail reads 友泉; it does not show where the inscription sits on the pot. [1]
A second way to borrow an older form#
The Three Gorges Museum records a different vessel as 徐友泉款鼎式壶: a ding-shaped pot bearing Xu Youquan’s name. Its description links the three feet and dragon-like handle to an ancient bronze model. The museum assigns it to the Ming dynasty and records height 8 cm and mouth diameter 6.2 cm.
The record locates 戊午仲春徐友泉製 on the base. This is museum-text evidence for placement, not a newly verified underside photograph. 戊午 is a cyclical year designation; it is retained here without selecting a corresponding Western year. [2]
A smaller vessel with a different outline#
The same museum’s 徐友泉款瓦棱壶 is a separate ribbed vessel, with a short straight spout and a rectangular handle in the museum description. It is catalogued as Ming, with height 5.5 cm and mouth diameter 5.8 cm; the record places 徐友泉制 on its base.
Both museum objects were donated by Li Chuli. Neither online entry supplies an accession number. Their different names, dimensions and descriptions identify separate specimens; they are not additional views of C81.504. [3]
What the name establishes—and what remains open#
These sources associate varied vessels with Xu Youquan, but they do not make a repeated name a universal test of authorship. “Bearing his name”, the catalogue’s attribution and a modern authentication of his own hand are different claims. Here the museum titles’ cautious 款 wording is preserved.
The clearest comparison is therefore between specific objects: a divided body on three feet, a ding-derived vessel, and a ribbed pot. Their differences remain useful even while questions of attribution require further evidence. A precise lifespan or an apprenticeship story is not needed to describe what these records actually document. [1] [2] [3]
Sources#
- Yixing Purple Clay Wares: The K.S. Lo Collection / 宜興紫砂陶器, Urban Council of Hong Kong, 1994, ISBN 962-215-124-8
- 重庆中国三峡博物馆：徐友泉款鼎式壶
- 重庆中国三峡博物馆：徐友泉款瓦棱壶
Status and editorial notes sources cited
Sources are listed below. Their presence does not certify every claim; source-specific interpretations and unresolved questions are identified in the text. This page has not received independent expert approval.