A CHINESE EXPORT SPHERICAL TEAPOT AND COVER circa 1735

painted on either side in pastel famille-rose enamels with a courting couple seated on a settee, the gentleman with his left arm around his sweetheart's shoulder while she teases a white dog with a tasseled stick, to the left a parrot on a gilt perch, the cover with two flowering branches, and each piece with a gilt blossom and foliate-scroll border.  Tiny chips on the spout.

Philip Suval, Inc., New York

San Francisco, Fall Antiques Show, 1995

The rim to the right of the handle with a 1 1/4" haircrack, the spout with a 1-mm. chip on the upper edge at the tip, and the gilt border slightly worn. The cover with a slightly yellowed (but not restored) rim edge; and the knop with a 3/8" frit on one side of the top, a 1/4" frit chip on the other side and a 1/2" frit on the lower ridge, and its gilding very worn.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Rather than use a European printed design source, the Chinese painter of this teapot appears to have simply placed a European couple in a Chinese setting including a caned bed, a red lacquer kang and a Chinese-style bird perch.