Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Morning Crane Teapot Sale - Park Jong Il

It seems appropriate to begin our first ever tea ware sale with the work of Park Jong Il whose work I have reviewed most often on this site.  Two years ago, January 2010, I introduced Park Jong Il with a post on his Tea Gallery and showroom that he had built with trees hewn nearby and raw clay also from his environment.  That was followed by how he handled water and his ch'at gi or teapots.  Then I wrote about his chatchan or teacups and chawan.  I completed that series of posts with Park's kiln and a post on his family.  I suspect that I will not present another artist in the same depth that I have presented Park Jong Il - but you never know.  In any case, it is obviously appropriate to begin our first Morning Crane Tea blog sale with the work of Park Jong Il.
 Park Jong Il Serving Tea
With this sale we are offering Park Jong Il's ch'at gi - teapots and chatchan - teacups.  We have both teapots and teacups in stock here in the USA.  If you are interested in any other work he does, that can also be arranged.  Contact us for details.  Since Morning Crane Tea is primarily a wholesale distributor,  we are hoping that legitimate tea retail stores will contact us for wholesale prices of Park Jong Il's work.     
All prices for this sale are discounted below retail outlets of Park Jong Il's work available from Western sources.  If you are serious, we can make inquiries about Park Jong Il's  other significant work such as his "boat and ocean" (the name he gives to the work he devised to handle water) and his chawan.  However, this sale is limited to no more than 10 teapots of the two styles you see displayed below plus selected teacups.  So if you are interested, contact us now to reserve the teapot or cups you want.   
Once the tea sale is finished we will have tea ware available at regular retail prices.

About the Teapots

Click on Images to Enlarge
We have available basically two types of Park Jong Il's teapots.  Those made with an iron rich clay body and those made with a porcelain clay body.  Both are fired to what we in the West call 'stoneware' temperatures.  In keeping with old Korean tradition, neither is glazed on the inside.  The porcelain teapots are glazed on the outside and are meant primarily for green tea.   The dark clay body is unglazed and obtains its surface color from the reduction wood firing and fly ash 'kissing' the surface of the pot.  Both come with different knob styles.  Plain knobs as you see above and figurative knobs as you see below.

By Western standards, these teapots are small.  The  darker teapots average 4" in height including the knob and 3.25" in diameter across the thickest part of the body.  The  porcelain teapots are 3.75" in height including the knob and about 3" in diameter across the thickest part of the body.  They are perfect for Korean style brewing.
We'll look at the teapots with selected cups first and then look at the individual teacups. All tea cups are approximately 3" in diameter and 2" tall unless otherwise noted.  Now lets look at what we have available.   Click the name of the item to contact us to reserve that teapot. You must supply your name email address and the number of the item(s).

Dark Clay Natural Wood fired Teapots and Cups
Click on Images to Enlarge 
  
 Teapot 1A - R and L Sides  $160.00 SOLD

Like all of Park Jong Il's teapots this iron rich wood fired teapot has all the characteristics of an exceptional Korean style teapot.  Each of his teapot forms,  including bodies, handles, spouts and lids, are beautifully balanced throughout and their surfaces, particularly on the dark clay, reflect the fire beautifully.  These iron rich teapots are also robust and when  presented to the whims of the fire emerge naturally kissed by the flame and flying wood ash.  You can feel how the fire touched each of these teapots differently. 
Since this is a sale, I have to discuss prices.  With the sale price of $160, you save $20.00 off the Western retail price of $180.00.  In addition, for a limited time, we will include a free 50g bag of Dong Cheon's Daejak green tea with each purchase.  Add $5.00 more for Jungak, $10.00 more for Sejak or Dan-cha.   But that is not all.

Suggested cups for 1A SOLD
Park Jong Il's iron rich teapots do not come with matching teacups.  Park Jong Il explains that while the teapot is unglazed, the teacups must be glazed for sanitary health reasons.  It is a philosophy of practicality in tune with nature. 
Since this sale is to introduce tea ware we have to have some "best offer".  Park Jong Il's teapots sell in the West for $180.00 retail and his teacups for $30 each or $270.00 for a teapot and three teacups.  Koreans use 3 or 5 teacups in a set  and have many teapots each for their various kinds of tea.  Our sale price is $160.00 for the teapot and usually $20.00 for each of the cups.  However, if you purchase both the teapot and the three cups suggested with the set, the total price is only $195.00 a savings of $75.00 off the retail price and $25.00 off the sale price. Plus you get the free Daejak tea, a $10.00 sale price value, or the Jungjak for $5.00 more or Sejak or Dan-cha for $10.00 more.  Please keep this offer in mind for all of the teapots offered with this sale.  All teapots are priced the same so if there is one you are interested in, reserve it now.

Click on Images to Enlarge

Teapot 2A - R and L Sides  $160.00 SOLD

Suggested cups for 2A SOLD

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Teapot 3A - R and L Sides  $160.00  SOLD
 
 Suggested cups for 3A  SOLD

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Teapot 4A - R and L Sides  $160.00 SOLD

Suggested cups for 4A SOLD

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Teapot 5A - R and L Sides  $160.00 SOLD

 Suggested cups for 5A SOLD

Porcelain Wood Fired Teapots and Cups

In Korea, many people believe porcelain to be the "gem of the ceramic arts".  Park Jong Il's porcelain teapots are truly 'gems'.  Porcelain reflects the purity of nature.  White porcelain reflects a quiet dignity and a refined sense of order.  Somehow, Park Jong Il's white porcelain teapots also reflect a sense of naturalness, calm and peace.  At a time when many Western teapot artists are searching for flamboyant teapots, even neglecting the purpose of the the pot and forgetting about tea, this Eastern artist remembers the importance of Tea.
Unlike the old question, "Which came first the chicken or the egg", there is no doubt that tea came before the teapot and Park Jong Il's teapots are made to serve both tea and Tea.

Let's look at his porcelain teapot offerings.

 Click on Images to Enlarge
Teapot 6A - R and L Sides  SOLD

Suggested cups for 6A SOLD

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Teapot 7A - R and L Sides  $160.00 SOLD

Suggested cups for 7A SOLD

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Teapot 8A - R and L Sides SOLD

 Suggested cups for 8A SOLD

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Teapot 9A - R and L Sides  SOLD

 Suggested cups for 9A SOLD

Click on Images to Enlarge
 Teapot 10A - R and L Sides SOLD

Suggested cups for 10A SOLD

Park Jong Il's special teacups are posted on the next post.
Current followers of this blog may activate a very special discount option by contacting me.  If you are not a current public 'follower' or known follower of our blogs, now is the time to join us for information on Korean and international tea ware artists and tea. 
 Go To Park Jong Next Post

3 comments:

  1. Arthur is doing a great service by providing this teaware in the west. I've been wanting to post my experience with a porcelain set I acquired from him but have found it difficult to sum up in words.
    This being my first Korean set has given me a rather conversional experience and I feel as though I've mostly renounced other teaware. Buying asian teaware in the states is such a gamble especially with Yixing being priced as it is. If I was buying Yixing from someone who knew as much about it as Arthur does Korean teaware and at his prices I would sleep easier at night.
    The set seems fit for a monk and I often wonder how it found it's way here. Before I thought tea sets were for friends and family of tourist but now I see with Korean teaware it's necessary for a full set and all the work compliments each other rather than looking too uniform, mass made and plastic. Though this is a porcelain set it is extremely organic and down to earth. The exposed clay gives a peak to the pots earthy internal nature and one wonders about this white clay and why it is so good. The unglazed inside never diminishes mouthfeel or flavor, the aroma always comes out intense and the pot makes fully awakened and vibrant tea.
    Each cup is developing it's own personality with every use. It's hard not to use them for every kind of tea. Yancha, High Mountain Oolong, Aged Puerh.. they just seem to make everything taste better! Each fits the hand perfectly and is soft and receptive to the lips. When one reads tea in these cups there is a vision of depth, fullness and true color, neither over intensified nor too dull. You cannot find this energy in modern mass made porcealain and one feels truly fortunate and looks forward to trying more of Park Jong Il's teaware.

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    Replies
    1. Dawson, Thank you for this great endorsement of Park Jong Il's tea ware. I am so fortunate to know him. My goal is twofold to promote Korean arts and culture by providing quality tea and tea ware.
      If there are those who are interested in Park Jong Il's tea ware, contact me for a similar discount.

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  2. Found your blog. This is a very good blog on tea online. I would like to thank you for all the information you give. Its really important to choose the best teas online at a resonable price.so thanks for sharing this information.

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