TWO YIXING 'HUAHUO' TEAPOTS AND COVERS 20TH CENTURY

the first teapot naturalistically rendered in the form of a gnarled tree trunk, the top with a cicada resting on a leafy branch; the other teapot modelled in the form of a gourd; Jiang Rong seal marks beneath the base and repeated under the cover

Jiang Rong (1919-2008), is known as the first female zisha master of the 20th century. She is particularly renowned for making huahuo ('imitation wares') teapots and her fruit-inspired teapots were eventually selected as gifts by Zhou Enlai (1898-1976) for foreign dignitaries in 1957.