Mark sources cited
友泉 · mark readings
友泉 is an incised name associated with Xu Youquan. The two characters are cut into the clay, rather than impressed with a seal; a museum example makes that distinction visible.
On this page
Start with the reading
友泉
In the detail for C81.504, read 友 above 泉. The caption puts 徐 in brackets: the catalogue supplies the surname, while the cut inscription has two characters. The close-up isolates the writing, so it gives no secure position on this particular pot. [1] [2]
A documented vessel
Three-legged teapot in an archaistic vessel form. The catalogue illustrates the incised 友泉 and attributes the name to Xu Youquan; it dates the vessel to the early seventeenth century. Xu Xiutang separately reproduces inscriptions under Xu Youquan’s name. Neither source makes all later objects bearing 友泉 his work. [2]
How far the evidence goes
Xu Xiutang’s seal chapter supplies a comparison for the named maker; the museum catalogue links readings to an identified vessel. This supports the documented association. It does not authenticate another pot carrying the same characters. [1] [2]
Compare the complete vessel, the position of every mark, its dimensions and stroke structure, and the collection history. Keep a catalogue’s date, an inscription’s date and a maker attribution distinct. Repeated publication of the same object is not independent provenance.
Sources checked for this entry; not an authentication service or a complete inventory of this maker’s seals.
Sources and exact locations
- 徐秀棠，《中国紫砂》，上海古籍出版社，1998 / 2000. ISBN 7-5325-2335-7. p. 50; PDF page 81.
- The Art of the Yixing Potter: The K.S. Lo Collection, Flagstaff House Museum of Tea Ware, Urban Council, Hong Kong, 1990. ISBN 962-215-096-9. Catalogue 8, p. 128; PDF page 132. C81.504.