Teapot and Lid
ca. 1650-1700 (made)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
This teapot was made at Dehua, of white porcelain known as 'blanc de Chine' in the west. One side is very subtly incised with a design of rocks and plants, and the other with a poetic couplet that reads: 'At night in springtime one moment is precious like a thousand pieces of gold, the orchid sends forth its fragrance in the shade of the moon.' These are the first two lines from a poem by the famous eleventh-century writer Su Shi. It might be assumed from this that the teapot had been commissioned by a scholar. However, Chinese scholars traditionally preferred the 'purple sand' teapots from Yixing, not white ones from Dehua. Examples in Dehua porcelain were probably made after the kilns diversified into tea-ware production, following demands from European merchants for European shapes. Dehua wares were closely copied at European porcelain factories, notably Meissen, Chantilly and Bow. Ceramic historians argue that Dehua's raw materials are superior to those of Jingdezhen, but the kilns had no access to water transportation and until the arrival of European merchants most of its productions were sold locally.
The base is inscribed with the name of the Emperor Xuande, who reigned from 1426 to 1435, more than 250 years before the teapot was made. The use of earlier reign marks has a long history in China, much t the vexation of modern researchers, and was intended to indicate respect rather than to deceive. The teapot's bold geometric design anticipates the forms of European modernism by more than two centuries.
The base is inscribed with the name of the Emperor Xuande, who reigned from 1426 to 1435, more than 250 years before the teapot was made. The use of earlier reign marks has a long history in China, much t the vexation of modern researchers, and was intended to indicate respect rather than to deceive. The teapot's bold geometric design anticipates the forms of European modernism by more than two centuries.
Object details
Categories | |
Object type | |
Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
|
Materials and techniques | Porcelain with clear glaze |
Brief description | Teapot and lid, Dehua ware; Dehua, China, about 1620-1700, Ming-Qing dynasty |
Physical description | White teapot with spherical body, straight tapering spout, circular handle and slightly domed lid with knop. Teapot body lightly incised Chinese characters. |
Dimensions |
|
Styles | |
Marks and inscriptions |
|
Gallery label |
|
Summary | This teapot was made at Dehua, of white porcelain known as 'blanc de Chine' in the west. One side is very subtly incised with a design of rocks and plants, and the other with a poetic couplet that reads: 'At night in springtime one moment is precious like a thousand pieces of gold, the orchid sends forth its fragrance in the shade of the moon.' These are the first two lines from a poem by the famous eleventh-century writer Su Shi. It might be assumed from this that the teapot had been commissioned by a scholar. However, Chinese scholars traditionally preferred the 'purple sand' teapots from Yixing, not white ones from Dehua. Examples in Dehua porcelain were probably made after the kilns diversified into tea-ware production, following demands from European merchants for European shapes. Dehua wares were closely copied at European porcelain factories, notably Meissen, Chantilly and Bow. Ceramic historians argue that Dehua's raw materials are superior to those of Jingdezhen, but the kilns had no access to water transportation and until the arrival of European merchants most of its productions were sold locally. The base is inscribed with the name of the Emperor Xuande, who reigned from 1426 to 1435, more than 250 years before the teapot was made. The use of earlier reign marks has a long history in China, much t the vexation of modern researchers, and was intended to indicate respect rather than to deceive. The teapot's bold geometric design anticipates the forms of European modernism by more than two centuries. |
Bibliographic reference | Liefkes, Reino and Hilary Young (eds.) Masterpieces of World Ceramics in the Victoria and Albert Museum. London: V&A Publishing, 2008, pp. 86-87.
|
Collection | |
Accession number | CIRC.62-1931 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
Record created | April 7, 2000 |
Record URL |
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest