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Does enebody recognise marking of this lovely teapot? It looks to me new but seller was sure that it was bought in fifties

The seal-script mark reads down and across from the top right as "Ban-tao jian zhi" (半匋監製), "Manufacture supervised by Bantao". According to information translated from the website artron.net (see link), "Bantao" is the nickname of Shao Zhonghe (邵仲和) born 1921, an Yixing native from a family of potters who have been making teapots since the Ming Dynasty. Prominent pot-making members of the Shao family and famed early Qing potter Shi Dabin were said to have been contemporaries at Yixing. I found no immediate information on when Shao Zhonghe might have passed away, but he should have been in his prime during the mid-20th century, presuming he was still alive. His mark of "Bantao Jianzhi" is somewhat amusing in its literal reading of "Manufacture supervised by half-finished pottery".

Here's a second link to a Bonhams auction for a glazed Yixing pot attributed to Shao, but under a different mark (which isn't shown on the pot).

https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/20489/lot/611/?category=list&length=12&page=10

Best regards,

Bill H.

URL Title :Shao Zhonghe

Thank you very much for your information. Its very detailed and very impessive

OK, your teapot doesn't seem to show much age. The thing is that these are often purchased because they are small and attractive objects, and not all are used in the serious business of the Chinese tea ceremony.

The mark on your pot is 半匋監製 which is not someone's name, but appears rather to be a statement that this pot was made under light supervision -possibly a student work.

Thank you very much for your reply

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