A new fake

A new fake, or is it

When i bought this teapot many years ago, a teapot 'expert' commented that it was a newly faked teapot. I did not argue with him as he was an expert (so said everybody) who had many years of experience collecting Yixing teapots. Any way, he was entitled to his  opinion.  I believed it was an old teapot. A few days later when i visited the shop, the owner told me there was a professor (he might have noticed the pot ealier but did not commit himself for the purchase) who liked to buy the pot from me if i was willing to let go.  However, I declined the  offer. I liked to keep what i bought and i beleved that it was a genuine old teapot. I also knew that it was a pratice in the Qing dynasty era where Yixing teapots were generally painted with enamel and then fired in the kiln. I held on to this belief.

Recently i watched a progran in the Chinese CCTV about a famous teapot collector in China. Half way in the program, the camera was going through his collection in the display cabinet. Then i noticed this teapot sitting nicely at one corner in the cabinet. This was a renown collector, i was very certain that he knew what he collected. This proved one thing, don't be influenced by the so-called 'expert'. Some of these experts could not even read or write Chinese characters correctly themselves.

Some genuine expert may not give you a true opinion as he may have ulterior motive. If he praises too much on the thing you show him, then it is not likely for him to acquire it from you at a low price. Antique buyers always have this practice. When they wanted to buy some antiques, they liked to find fault on them so they could start slashing the asking price. A best way to start the bargaining process. The seller, on thr other hand, would bring out the good points of his stuff to counter the buyer's negative action. To close the deal, both the buyer and seller would negotiate for a final a price both could agree. Sometime it is irony. If the buyer kept on finding faults on the antique, then why he should he still want to buy it.