Yixing ware. Teapot with lid, stoneware, with gold mounts; China (Yixing), Qing dynasty, 1850-1900

A miniature teapot of globular, pear-shaped form. The spout, edge of the lid and knob are cased in gold. On the flat base is the incised inscription: Yongzheng er nian jia chen Hui Mengchen (Second year of Yongzheng, made by Hui Mengchen). Inside the lid is the stamped mark, shuiping.

Bequeathed by Miss Gertrude Mary Gill Dixon

Provenance:
Miss Dixon's great-uncle was court tailor to the King of Thailand in the 1870's, and the bequest contains considerable quantities of Thai material acquired by him at this time. See RPs 92/996 for ISEAC acquisitions. There is a presumption that the Chinese material has the same provenance, though this is not documented.

Discussion:
The date on the base is equivalent to 1724, though this is likely to be spurious. Hui Mengchen was the leading Yixing potter of the 17th century whose work was much imitated. The form of this example is one very closely associated with him - for a genuine example in the collection see C.871-1936. The marks are unlikely to be intended to deceive, since the real maker's mark, 'shuiping', is also added under the lid. For this mark see Lo, K.S. The Stonewares of Yixing (Hong Kong, 1986), p. 275. The same author discusses the practice of combining Hui Mengchen and workshop marks in the later 19th century on pp,169-170. For another gold-mounted miniature teapot in the collection. see FE.9:1, 2-1990.

Register

FE.522:1, 2-1992