Hundred-Fruit Teapot (Flower and Fruit Teapot)
Introduction
Chen Mingyuan (given name Yuan, courtesy name Mingyuan; art names Hefeng, Shixia Shanren and Huyin) was born into a family of Zisha potters. He created dozens of kinds of tea wares and scholar's objects, all of exquisite quality.
He pioneered the practice of engraving poems and inscriptions on teapot bodies, signing his works with both carved inscriptions and seals in a vigorous, elegant style reminiscent of the High Tang. His works were renowned at home and abroad — it was said at the time that "collectors overseas vie for Mingyuan's dishes" — and he made outstanding contributions to the history of Zisha ceramic art.