A Yixing three-friends of winter teapot, Zhu Kexin (1904-1986)

岁寒三友紫砂壶, 朱可心

the teapot made of Hong qing shui ni (Red qing shui ni clay), of bold form, naturalistically modelled with the handle, spout in the form of bamboo-section, the lid and knob enamelled and imitating the pine tree trunk and spray, also decorated with cherry blossom spray, the body with a bamboo spray, the lid with impressed potter’s seal mark, the bottom with a mark reading as: the craftsman of department of pottery from the Yixing Public Vocational School of Jiangsu province, was awarded of Excellence in Chicago Expo (1932), Zhu Kexin.

Zhu Kexin (1904-1986), originally ZHU kai-chang, a native if Yixing. One of the 'Seven Ceramic Masters' in China, also one of the founders of Jiangsu Yixing Red Pottery Arts Factory. Zhu started his ceramic career at 14, he was appointed as an instructor of the Factory in 1956, which was the highest honour in this field in those days. Zhu was particularly versed in using dragon, pine, bamboo and plum as topics, as well as mingling modern, with traditional artistic styles. His masterpiece the Teapot of Cloud Dragon, made him a prize winner in the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in 1932.

此壶以红清水泥制, 造型简约, 壶嘴及壶柄作竹节状, 壶盖上以加彩法作松树及梅花, 并以壶钮作树枝, 壶身有竹叶装饰, 壶盖内有“可心” 印, 壶底有“江苏公立宜职窑科宝习技师芝加哥博览会特绘优异朱可心” 印

朱可心(1904-1986), 原名朱凯长, 江苏省宜兴人, 中国七大陶艺大师之一, 宜兴紫砂工艺厂创始人之一。十四岁开始紫砂壶艺生涯, 1956年被江苏省人民政府任命为紫砂工艺“技术辅导” (当时工艺界最高荣誉), 并先后授艺带徒数十人。朱氏尤擅长以龙、松、竹、梅为题材创作, 作品风格古中见新, 别具一格。其作品“云龙壶” 于1932年获美国芝加哥博览会荣获“特级优奖”。