A rare porcelain teapot with underglaze blue decoration. The body is flattened and moulded.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION :

The body of this teapot is circular and flattened, shaped like a flask. Both the spout and the body are decorated with floral motifs. The design radiates from the centre of the body, with branches extending outward and appearing to follow the contours of the form. In addition to its flattened shape, the teapot also displays a subtle spiral movement.

Teapots of similar shape (flask-shaped) can be found, the form itself being inspired by Islamic pottery. This type is discussed in Four Centuries of Blue and White, Becky McGuire, 2023, p. 157. What distinguishes this particular teapot is the dynamic movement created by the moulding: it is not only the applied relief decoration, but the entire body of the teapot that is shaped in this way.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

For a comparable model, see :

– A Culture Revealed: Kangxi-era Porcelain from the Jie Rui Tang Collection, Jeffrey P. Stamen, Cynthia Volk and Yibin Ni, 2017, fig. 102

– Sotheby’s, Kangxi: The Jie Rui Tang Collection, 20 March 2018, Lot 379

– Four Centuries of Blue and White, Becky McGuire, p.157, fig. 123

PROVENANCE :

– French Private Collection

AVAILABLE