徐
Xu Youquan
徐友泉
Ming Ming Dynasty The elegant rebel of Ming clay
Biography
A student of the legendary Shi Dabin, Xu Youquan took everything his master taught him and pushed it somewhere entirely new — blending technical precision with a refined elegance that felt almost painterly. Active during the vibrant Wanli period of the late Ming Dynasty, he became one of the most celebrated hands in Yixing history, transforming humble zisha clay into objects that were as much art as they were teaware. If Shi Dabin built the throne of Yixing craft, Xu Youquan decorated it.
Key Contribution
Xu Youquan elevated Yixing teapot-making into a fine art by fusing masterful technique with a sophisticated aesthetic sensibility that influenced generations of potters after him.
Referenced in the Book
p. 162