Chen Mingyuan

Chen Mingyuan was the kind of genius who made people do a double-take — was that a peach on the table, or a teapot? Active during the golden Kangxi era of the Qing Dynasty, he shattered the boundaries of what Yixing clay could be, sculpting fruits, vegetables, and natural forms so lifelike they seemed freshly picked from a garden. To this day, he's celebrated as one of the greatest masters in Yixing's long history, a artist who turned humble purple clay into pure wonder.