What is the Manson Eighteen Style?
Mansheng Eighteen Shapes is an eighteen-pot shape designed by Mansheng, a painter and seal engraver in Qing Dynasty who was known as one of the Eight Schools of Xiling at that time, and hand-made by Yang Pengnian and Yang Fengnian, craftsmen of purple sand. In order to commemorate them, later generations named it "Manson Eighteen Styles" or "Manson Pot" for short.
The origin of Manson's eighteen styles
According to relevant records, during the Jiaqing period, Chen Mansheng worked as a county magistrate in Liyang, Yixing. Later, he became attached to the teapot and became interested in it. As a pot friend, he often visited the pot maker in Yixing and was introduced to Yang Pengnian and Yang Fengnian. "In my spare time, I identified sand, created new samples, hand-painted 18 pots, and invited Yang Pengnian, Shao Erquan and others to make pots." Both Chen Mansheng and Yang Pengnian attach great importance to the combination of form and meaning of teapots, which are unique and gradually recognized by the public. Therefore, the history of teapot has been called "full of eighteen pots".
Characteristics of slow-growing eighteen styles
The characteristics of Manson's eighteen styles are obvious. It is very obvious that poems, inscriptions or brick characters are deliberately engraved on the abdomen or shoulders of the teapot. In addition, Manson, Manson Inscription, Manson Tuoshi or Manson are seven inscriptions that are usually added to the obvious position of the pot body. Chen Mansheng integrates epigraphy, calligraphy and painting, poetry and pot-making technology, and brings out the best in each other, creating a unique and mature artistic style of Zisha pot, and creating a perfect combination of literature, calligraphy and painting seal cutting and pot art. Because of its unique pot art style, Mansheng pot has left a classic saying in the history of pot that "the pot is expensive with words, and the words are passed down according to the pot".
Pot shapes and inscriptions full of pots
The reason why Manson's Eighteen Styles can be spread to this day and endure for a long time is the enthusiasm and persistence of the pot maker in creation. Today, although the market environment of teapot is poor, some teapot makers always stick to the bottom line, and will not cut corners because of plotting fame and fortune, or lose their original heart and collude with pot merchants.