Bonhams 1793 : An extremely rare stoneware 'scholar's greeting' octagonal teapot and cover Qing dynasty

A stoneware 'scholar's greeting' octagonal teapot and cover Qing dynasty

24 Nov 2012 16:00 CST Hong Kong
Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art
Back to auction 20365

An extremely rare stoneware 'scholar's greeting' octagonal teapot and cover

Kangxi
Potted, carved and originally lacquered on the exterior, the compressed octagonal body with deeply curved sides issuing a triangular spout converging at the tip, the overhead inverted 'U'-shaped handle rising from the shoulders, the slightly domed cover surmounted by a round knop, moulded on the upper part of the body with scholars gathering under pine trees, the lower part with meandering leafy pony flowers, the stoneware of a rich brown tone, the lacquer later removed.
18cm wide. (2).

Sold for HK$ 500,000 inc. premium

Footnotes

Illustrated 出版：
Patrice Valfré, Yixing: Teapots for Europe, 2000, p.232
The carving techniques represented on current example can be stylistically related to what has been applied on lacquerwares. By judging from the signs of various colouring on the clay surface, as well as the lacquer residue remains on its surface, it is apparent that the teapot was originally covered by cinnabar lacquer and later removed by extensively firing, revealing the rather thin and lighter biscuit body. For examples of teapot with carved cinnabar lacquer decorated on an Yixing body material, see a Qianlong Yixing stoneware carved lacquer teapot from the National Palace Museum, Taipei, illustrated in Carving the Subtle Radiance of Colors, Treasured Lacquerware in the National Palace Museum, p.142, pl.146; and an additional example in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Yixing Zisha Wares in the Palace Museum, Beijing, 2009, p.42, pl.1. Compare another teapot from the Augustus the Strong's collection, which was catalogued in 1723, currently housed in The Dresden Porcelain Collection, Dresden (N116). Like the current lot, the lentil shaped teapot also had a layer of lacquer and possibly removed.

清康熙段泥刻花高士訪友圖提梁壺

壺八方形身，斜肩，平足四周又飾三乳釘足，三角形直流，流上刻卷草花卉紋，高提梁上飾開光錦地紋。壺身從中部向內折斂，上部刻高士松山訪友圖，下部飾纏枝牡丹紋。壺段泥作胎，壺身表面依稀可見殘留紅漆，此壺最早通身應套有紅漆，後可能被燒毀。

此壺胎質輕薄，其刻繪紋飾與漆雕器風格無異，且壺面有明顯火燒痕跡並仍可見殘留紅漆，其原件表面應有髹漆裝飾。宜興胎剔紅茶壺之例子，可見北京故宮博物院藏一件紫砂雕漆四方壺，王建華編，《故宮博物院藏宜興紫砂》，北京，2009年，頁42，圖版1；另見台北國立故宮博物院藏一件清乾隆宜興胎剔紅雜寶茶壺，《和光剔彩 - 故宮藏漆》，頁142，圖版146。在歐洲博物館中的傳世宜興紫砂器中，亦見將砂壺外層罩漆移除的案例，見波蘭國王奧古斯特二世舊藏，現存德國德累斯頓瓷器博物館中藏一件宜興紫砂壺（編號N116），該壺記錄於1723年，其工藝及紋飾風格與本壺極為相近。