'Amantuoshi' studio seal
阿曼陀室 is Chen Mansheng’s studio name. It can appear with a potter’s mark such as 彭年 and a separate inscription: read these as different contributions, not as interchangeable signatures.
On this page
阿曼陀室（底款） / 彭年（把梢款）
Reading and placement#
- Reading (Simplified)
- 阿曼陀室（底款） / 彭年（把梢款）
- Reading (Traditional)
- 阿曼陀室（底款） / 彭年（把梢款）
- Pinyin
- Āmàntuóshì / Péngnián
- Technique
- seal
- Position
- On the Chicago pot (no. 16), 阿曼陀室 is on the bottom, 彭年 beneath the handle, and the signed poem on the side. [3]
Examples in the catalogues
Who shaped the vessel, and who signed the writing? On C81.496 the catalogue records 彭年 and the studio mark 阿曼陀室. It identifies the inscription’s signature, Pinjia, with Guo Lin. Xu Xiutang describes how potters, calligraphers, engravers and patrons could contribute to a Mansheng pot. Here each name can be read in relation to its particular role.
What a mark does not tell you#
A mark records a name or claim on a vessel. It may reflect a maker, workshop, patron, later homage or imitation. Its reading, date and authorship must be assessed separately with the whole object and its provenance.
Museum and excavated reference objects#
| Museum / Excavation | Reference object | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| Art Institute of Chicago | The Art Institute of Chicago’s angular pot carries 阿曼陀室 on the bottom and 彭年 beneath the handle. Bartholomew identifies the signature on the side as another name used by Guo Lin. | [3] |
| K. S. Lo · 17 | The K. S. Lo pot carries 阿曼陀室 on the bottom, 彭年 at the base of the handle and a body inscription signed Pinjia. | [3] |
How to read and check this mark#
Compare the Chicago pot (no. 16) with the K. S. Lo loan (no. 17). Both carry the studio name on the bottom and 彭年 at the handle. Guo Lin signed the Chicago poem as Hsiang-po and the Lo vessel inscription as Pinjia. The studio seal identifies neither signature on its own. [3]
Later copies, tribute marks and workshop reuse#
- Because the 'Eighteen Mansheng Shapes' (曼生十八式) became the most admired literati teapot series of the Qing dynasty, the '阿曼陀室' base seal and '曼生' inscriptions were widely copied from the Daoguang reign through the Republic and modern periods.1
Evidence and interpretation#
Li Minxing’s discussion distinguishes later accounts of Mansheng pots and questions a fixed 1811–1822 production span. Designing a form, composing a text, writing it and engraving clay are separate contributions. The “eighteen shapes” belongs to the reported tradition, rather than a verified surviving set of eighteen original designs. Source ↗
Sources#
- 张浦生《明清紫砂茶具概述》(1994)
- 徐秀棠、顾景舟《宜兴紫砂茶具概述》(1994)
- Terese Tse Bartholomew, I-Hsing Ware (1977) · № 16 · 39 (PDF 41) · № 17 · 40–41 (PDF 42–43).
- 陈宗懋 主编《中国茶叶大辞典》(2000)
- The Art of the Yixing Potter (1990)
- 中国紫砂 (1998)
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.