AN INSCRIBED PEWTER-ENCASED YIXING STONEWARE TEAPOT BY ZHU JIAN, QING DYNASTY, JIAQING – DAOGUANG PERIOD

of square section, the four sides rising to a curved shoulder, the stoneware body encased with pewter, set with a facetted spout and angular C-shaped handle mounted with jade, the flat pewter cover surmounted by a cylindrical jade knop, one side incised with stylised leaves, the other with an inscription signed Shimei

Good condition, with just minor dents, bruises and scratching.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Another pewter-mounted teapot by Yang Pengnian, similar engraved with flowering prunus and inscribed by Zhu Jian, is illustrated by K.S. Lo, The Stonewares of Yixing: from the Ming period to the present day, Hong Kong, 1986, pl. 40, and discussed, pp. 213-5, where the author notes that the practice of encasing Yixing teapots in pewter coverings is said to have been developed by the scholar Zhu Jian (1796-1850), who was active in the Jiaqing/Daoguang period and a key figure in reviving interest in Yixing among the literati. Zhu is considered one of the most important scholarly potters and teapot connoisseurs, and wrote the book Hu shi [The history of the teapot]. He is also known for his hao, Shimei or 'stone prunus'. See an incised Yixing teapot, signed Zhu Shimei, from the collection of Mr and Mrs Jimmy Sha, sold at Bonhams Hong Kong, 24th November 2013, lot 110.

See also a silver-inlaid bronze ruyi sceptre dated 1849, made under the supervision of Zhu Jian, illustrated by Paul Moss, The Literati Mode, Sydney L. Moss Ltd, London, 1986, p. 298, pl. 151. It is signed by the previously unrecorded Ma Yushan, and interesting for the evidence it displays of the influence Chen Man's circle had in the design and patronage of literati works of art, not only of Yixing stoneware, but also of metalwork.