Shi Dabin: A Shining Star of Purple Clay Art
Shi Dabin: A Legendary Master of Purple Clay
Shi Dabin, a master of purple clay in the Ming Dynasty, holds a pivotal position in the history of purple clay art. He is the son of Shi Peng, one of the famous "four masters" of purple clay. Born in 1573 and died in 1648, his life activities were between the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty and the Shunzhi period of the Qing Dynasty.
Shi Dabin's pot art was highly reputed in the Ming Dynasty and was often mentioned in the records of literati. In "Tea Notes" by Xu Cishu of the Ming Dynasty, it is mentioned that "In the past, the teapots made by Gong Chun were highly treasured by people at that time. Recently, those made by Shi Bin are also greatly cherished." After Gong Chun, he created many special tools for making teapots, created many pot styles, and cultivated a group of apprentices such as Li Zhongfang and Xu Youquan. He carried on the past and opened up the future, developing purple clay art.
In his early works, Shi Dabin's style was firm, simple and elegant, and he liked to imitate Gong Chun's large teapots. Later, when he traveled to Lou Dong in Suzhou and associated with people like Chen Meigong, his style of making teapots changed completely, from large to small. His creative attitude was extremely serious. Whenever he was not satisfied with a work, he would destroy it. Shi Dabin lived for about eighty years. He must have made thousands of works, which were widely spread. As a poem goes, "In the palace, people are fond of talking about Dabin's teapots. Overseas, people are competing to seek Mingyuan's dishes."
Shi Dabin had profound research on the preparation of clay materials, molding techniques, shape design and inscriptions of purple clay pottery. He added sand to the clay material and pioneered the method of making teapots with adjusted sand. The ancients called it "coarse sand, ancient texture and even texture", which is quite interesting. In terms of molding techniques, he improved Gong Chun's method of "cutting wood as a mold" and combined the method of forming by beating the body cylinder with the method of forming by inlaying the body cylinder, thus establishing the basic method of inlaying clay slices to form purple clay teapots. This is a great leap in the making method of purple clay teapots. He also created square and round pot styles for the first time, becoming the typical pot styles of purple clay teapots. Following the suggestions of literati such as Chen Jiru, he changed making large teapots to making small teapots, making purple clay teapots more suitable for the tea-drinking habits of literati and introducing literati's taste into pot art, pushing pot art to a new height.
Although Shi Dabin made many works, very few of them have been handed down and survived. According to a brief statistics by later generations, there are only dozens of his surviving works, including those recorded in books, which shows how precious they are. There are also many private collections at home and abroad. As it is impossible to check and distinguish their authenticity, they are not included for the time being. Most of Shi's pots have the inscription of "Dabin", which can be used for identification.
Outstanding achievements and unique contributions.
(1) New molding techniques
Shi Dabin's greatest contribution to purple clay pot art lies in creating the brand-new molding techniques of "beating the body cylinder" and "inlaying the body cylinder". The body cylinder is made by the clay sheet molding method. He abandoned molds and relied entirely on manual beating, forming a set of reasonable and perfect craftsmanship and techniques. This innovation can be called the greatest transformation in the molding process of purple clay pots and laid a solid foundation for the development of purple clay craftsmanship. To this day, this unique molding technique is still widely used by craftsmen. It is a milestone in the history of purple clay craftsmanship, making purple clay craftsmanship unique among many traditional crafts and becoming a precious intangible cultural heritage.
(2) Pioneering the sand-adjusting process
Shi Dabin pioneered the sand-adjusting method and transplanted the "binary matching" method in porcelain making into purple clay production. Adding coarse sand to the clay material, on the one hand, changes the physical properties of the clay body during drying and firing, making it less likely to crack; on the other hand, making it with coarse sand just takes away the earthy smell. The small protruding particles on the surface of the sand pot are faintly visible, producing a wonderful effect of "coarse sand, ancient texture, and even texture". His disciple Xu Youquan realized in his later years that "my refinement is ultimately not as good as Shi's coarseness", which fully shows the unique charm of the sand-adjusting process. The Dabin handle pot now housed in the Nanjing Museum is a representative work of Shi Dabin's sand-adjusting works.
(3) Leading the transformation of pot shapes
The change of purple clay pot shapes from large to small is an important transformation in the history of purple clay pots. In his early years, Shi Dabin liked to make large pots. Later, when he traveled to Lou Dong and associated with famous literati such as Chen Jiru, influenced by the tea-drinking methods and aesthetic concepts of literati, he changed to making small pots. Zhou Gaoqi recorded in "Yangxian Teapot Records": "Later, when he traveled to Lou Dong and heard Chen Meigong and other gentlemen from Langya and Taiyuan discuss and practice tea serving and drinking, he made small pots. Having one on the desk can give people a sense of leisure and remoteness. None of the previous famous masters can match him." Shi Dabin changed large pots into small pots, making purple clay pots more suitable for the tea-drinking habits of literati, introducing literati's taste into pot art, combining pot art with tea ceremony, and pushing purple clay pot art to a new height. "Pots should be small rather than large." As it is said in "Tea Notes" of the Ming Dynasty: Small pots keep the fragrance from dispersing and the taste from being delayed. This transformation by Shi Dabin decisively changed the direction and path of the development of purple clay pots, prompting purple clay to become an art work combining craftsmanship and concept, rather than just a practical utensil.
Artistic style and characteristics of works.
(1) Diversified shapes of works
The pots made by Shi Dabin are rich and diverse in shapes, including round ware, square ware, biomorphic ware and ribbed ware. He is truly a versatile master in pot making. His works have become typical pot styles of purple clay pots. For example, the "hexagonal pot" has a hexagonal cylindrical body, formed by inlaying six rectangular clay slices of the same size. The shape is natural without visible seams. The pot cover is round with a conical knob in the middle, which may be related to the concept of "round heaven and square earth". Another example is the "round pot with three feet and ruyi pattern". The pot body is like a sphere. The surface is glittering with light yellow particles, giving a texture like "pomegranate skin". It has three feet and the pot cover is decorated with four-lobed persimmon calyx patterns. These pot styles each have their own characteristics, showing Shi Dabin's outstanding talent in shape design.
(2) Demonstration of simple style
Shi Dabin's works adhere to a simple style, as can be seen from the existing purple clay pots or those unearthed from tombs dated to the Ming Dynasty. For example, the "hexagonal pot", although the body contains small sand particles and is still less flat and lacking in brightness and smoothness even after being polished, has a relatively rough temperament. However, the overall shape is simple and natural without any trace of deliberate carving. Another example is the "round pot with flat tripod feet and lid". It has full shoulders, a straight neck, a bulging belly that gradually narrows down at the lower part, a flat bottom and a ring foot. The curved spout is installed in the middle of the pot belly. It has a round hole. The lid fits tightly. At the bottom, there is an engraved regular script inscription of "made by Shi Dabin" in a single vertical row. The knife work is skillful and powerful, fully demonstrating the simple beauty. This simple style reflects Shi Dabin's pursuit of nature and simplicity, forming a sharp contrast with the elaborate and delicate style of that time.
(3) Culture of inscriptions and signatures
Shi Dabin shows high cultural accomplishment in the inscriptions and signatures on his pots. Influenced by literati, he studied calligraphy hard. At first, he would ask others to write the inscriptions. Later, after long-term study of calligraphy, he finally wrote beautiful Wang Xizhi-style calligraphy and then signed his own name. Shi Dabin's engraved calligraphy is elegant and has won the praise of literati. He pioneered the inscriptions on pots, adding literary and artistic value to purple clay pots. For example, on the "antique lotus seed pot", there is an engraved inscription on the pot belly: "With tea, stone tripod with gentle fire, taste Huiquan spring water with cloud labels. Dabin imitating the antique." Under "With tea", there is a small hexagonal seal in the "Kan trigram" of the Eight Trigrams, symbolizing water. The seal script inscription after that cannot be identified today. These inscriptions not only enrich the cultural connotation of the pot but also become one of the important bases for distinguishing the authenticity of the works.
(4) Unique artistic style
"Shi Dabin's purple clay pots" are mainly plain ware in shape without decoration. A small number of works are slightly decorated with dragon mouths and phoenixes on the spout and handle. There is no elaborate decoration in craftsmanship. The whole pot appears simple, elegant, grand and stable. This unique artistic style forms the characteristics of "rough but not charming, simple but elegant". Shi Dabin's works, with their unadorned clay quality and restrained luster in color, exactly match the quality pursuit of literati and artists. The outer cutting spaces of the pot body, handle, lid and spout are smooth. The various parts are coordinated just right without the slightest sense of tension or oppression, giving people a visual feeling of relaxation and stretch. For example, the "monk's hat pot" has five lotus petals on the rim surrounding the pot cover like a monk's hat. The pot cover is in the shape of a regular pentagon knob like the top of a monk's hat. The pot neck is not long, like the brim of a monk's hat. The pot body is pentagonal, just like a monk's hat. This pot has a unique shape and exquisite craftsmanship, reflecting Shi Dabin's unique artistic style.
Surviving works and value influence.
(1) Few surviving works
Although Shi Dabin made many works throughout his life, very few of them have survived. According to a brief statistics by later generations, there are only dozens of his surviving works, including those recorded in books. This shows how extremely precious they are. Precisely because they are so rare, Shi Dabin's works are fiercely competed for at auctions at home and abroad.
For example, the early Qing Dynasty pot with Shi Dabin's inscription and inspired by Mei Yaochen's poem was sold for 22,425,000 yuan at the 2020 Spring Auction of Zhongmao Shengjia. Shi Dabin's rhombus petal round pot and flat round pot were sold for 21,850,000 yuan at the 2019 Spring Auction of Poly International Auction Co., Ltd. Beijing. The purple clay flat-shouldered plain pot made by Shi Dabin in the Ming Dynasty was sold for 18,400,000 yuan at the 2021 Autumn Auction of Xiling Yinshe. Shi Dabin's pot with ring knob was sold for 13,440,000 yuan at the 2021 Autumn Auction of Xiling Yinshe. The "Drawing Spring Water" made by Shi Dabin in the Ming Dynasty was sold for 9,775,000 yuan at Juli Auction in December 2018. These high auction prices fully reflect the preciousness and scarcity of Shi Dabin's works.
Note: The picture shows Shi Dabin's rhombus petal round pot and flat round pot.
(2) Far-reaching value and influence
Shi Dabin's works have had a profound influence on later purple clay art. He established the norms of purple clay art and provided valuable references and learning models for later purple clay artisans.
Shi Dabin's in-depth research on the preparation of clay materials, molding techniques, shape design and inscriptions of purple clay pottery laid the foundation for the highly difficult technical system of forming by using clay sheets and inlaying, which is still followed by the purple clay industry today. His new molding techniques, pioneering of sand-adjusting process and leading of pot shape transformation opened up a new path for the development of purple clay craftsmanship.
Later purple clay artisans, on the basis of Shi Dabin, continuously innovated and developed, integrating forms such as literature, metal and stone, calligraphy, painting and seal cutting into the making of purple clay pots, thus enhancing the artistic value of purple clay pots. Shi Dabin's works are not only practical tea sets but also exquisite artworks, reflecting the profound connotations of Chinese traditional culture.
His works have influenced generations of purple clay artisans and promoted the inheritance and development of purple clay art. Shi Dabin's artistic achievements and innovative spirit have become a monument in the history of purple clay art, inspiring later generations to continuously pursue excellence and make greater contributions to the prosperity of purple clay art.