Sophie von der Goltz
Head of Sale
Lot 66
A Vezzi teabowl, circa 1725
1 December 2025, 13:00 GMT
London, New Bond Street£3,000 - £5,000
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Sebastian Kuhn
Department Director
Nette Megens
Head of Department, Director
Raphael Machiels
Associate Specialist
A Vezzi teabowl, circa 1725
Painted in underglaze-blue with flower sprigs embellished in iron-red and gilding, underglaze-blue line borders to the rims, the inside with a single flower and training leaves, 7.6cm diam, 3.7cm high, V: in underglaze-blue, incised A
Footnotes
Provenance
Anon. sale in these Rooms, 11 December 2013, lot 118
Literature
White, Mary, Drinking at the Whites' House, Vol.2, 2021, p.439
The design in underglaze-blue on this teabowl seems related to a chinoiserie design published by Luca Melegati (Giovanni Vezzi e le sue Porcellane, 1998, plates 47 and 48) where similar flowers are flanked by chinamen. The shape can be found in the same publication (plates 50 and 51), where the author notes that the form is also based on Asian examples. The elaborate decoration scheme combining underglaze-blue with gold and iron red over the glaze is typical for the factory, and can be found mostly on pieces of Asian inspiration. The flower decoration with its tendril-like stems may be derived from textiles imported from India in the late 17th and early 18th centuries (S. Schwartz et al., Brittle Beauty Reflections on 18th-century European Porcelain, 2023, p. 156).
Important Notice to Buyers
Condition is not specified in the lot cataloguing. Please request a condition report.