AN INSCRIBED YIXING STONEWARE 'LANDSCAPE' TEAPOT AND COVER LATE QING DYNASTY, BY HE XINZHOU

of tall square form, the deep curved sides rising to a short neck, set with a curved spout opposite a C-shaped handle, one face incised with a riverside landscape, the reverse with a poetic inscription dated xinmao year, the domed cover surmounted by a loop, impressed to the underside of the cover, handle and the base with seals of He Xinzhou

good condition with just minor surface wear
"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."

Active during the second half of the 19th century, He Xinzhou (c.1829-97) was renowned not only as a potter but also as a calligrapher and carver. He is known to have worked with a group of prominent artists from Shanghai from a young age, including the scholar and calligrapher, Mei Tiaoding (1839-1906). In the latter part of his life he moved to Ningbo with his friend, fellow potter Wang Dongshi, to produce teapots for the literati, at a workshop set up in the courtyard of the Lin Family under the patronage of Mei Tiaoding (1839-1906). It was named 'Yucheng', after the Song dynasty inscription by Zhang Zai (1020-77), which expresses the notion to seek success as one cherishes jade. The workshop rapidly became a centre for teapot connoisseurship and innovation.

A teapot made by He Xinzhou in the K.S.Lo collection is illustrated in K.S.Lo, The Stonewares of Yixing - From the Ming period to the Present Day, Hong Kong, 1986, p. 114, pl. 54; and another with overhead handle illustrated in Ho Chien, Purple Clay. Wellington Wang's Collection of Yixing Wares, Taipei, 1993, p.123, was sold at Bonhams Hong Kong, 28th November 2011, lot 517. See also a Mansheng-type teapot, incised by He Xinzhou,  sold at Bonhams Hong Kong, 24th November 2013, lot 112, from the Mr and Mrs Jimmy Sha collection. See also a Yixing snuff bottle decorated with a five-character pictograph from an archaic bronze jue, inscribed and dated to the bingshen year (corresponding to 1896), formerly in the Mary and George Bloch collection, sold in our New York rooms, 16th/17th September 2014, lot 231.