Chen Man-sheng (陳曼生) from the Ch'ing dynasty is celebrated for his poetry, calligraphy, painting and seal. The teapots and desk objects he made in I-hsing purple clay are fine, elegant, and devoid of any speck of vulgarity. Connoisseurs view them as the rarest treasures. We present an I-hsing clay water vessel by Chen Man-sheng that imitated the form of the T'ang dynasty headwall of the well engraved by Monk Ch'eng-kuan (澄觀). This is a record of the Buddhist soul of an eminent monk, and an advocacy of the spiritual refinement practiced by the literati of the classical world.

Curatorial and Editorial Department