Mark sources cited
彭年 · mark readings
彭年 is Yang Pengnian’s personal-name seal. On a collaborative teapot, it can accompany a studio seal and an inscription by someone else.
On this page
Start with the reading
彭年
Read the three forms side by side. 彭年 gives the personal name without the surname. 楊彭年製 and 楊彭年造 each add the surname 楊 and a verb meaning “made”. Copy the final character as it appears on each pot. In the Sihai examples the short form is on the exterior base; in the two pewter-encased pots the full forms are inside the body. [3] [4]
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.
A documented vessel
Chamfered low cylindrical teapot. The catalogue records 彭年 and 阿曼陀室, an inscription signed Pinjia (Guo Lin), and the date 1815. Chen Mansheng’s studio name does not make him the author of this inscription. [2]
On the Shanghai Museum’s half-tile pot, follow the handle down to its lower end. The museum places the 彭年 impression there and the studio mark 阿曼陀室 under the base. It also records writing on the two broad faces. These positions let a reader distinguish the name on the handle from the studio and the inscriptions. (上海博物馆 · CI00010426)
Three plates pair 莲生 on the lid with 彭年 on the base. The pairing documents where the readings appear; the catalogue evidence here leaves the identity behind 莲生 open. [3]
- 瓜棱竹节提梁壶 · p. 28 (PDF 54). Lid 莲生 · Base 彭年
- 新桥扁鼓壶 · p. 30 (PDF 56). Lid 莲生 · Base 彭年
- 钵盂壶 · p. 32 (PDF 58). Lid 莲生 · Base 彭年
The 1994 Hong Kong catalogue shows two pewter-encased pots with seals on the floor inside the clay body. The grain-measure pot C81.422 reads 楊彭年製. The oval pot C81.424 reads 楊彭年造.
Compare the last character in the seal details on plates 44 and 45. Figures 9 and 10 show the pots open and locate each impression inside its vessel. [4]
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. 54; PDF page 85.
- 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 46, p. 159; PDF page 163. C81.496.
- 许四海，《吾壶四海：四海壶具博物馆藏清末民国宜兴紫砂壶百件》 · 上海文化出版社 · 2009 · ISBN 978-7-80740-462-0 · p. 28 (PDF 54), 30 (PDF 56), 32 (PDF 58).
- 宜興紫砂陶器 / Yixing Purple Clay Wares, Urban Council, Hong Kong, 1994. ISBN 962-215-124-8. figs. 9–10 · p. 23 (PDF 29). plate 44 · C81.422 · p. 89 (PDF 95). plate 45 · C81.424 · p. 90 (PDF 96).