Lot 3628
  • 3628

A RARE IMPERIALLY INSCRIBED FAMILLE-ROSE TEAPOT SEAL MARK AND PERIOD OF QIANLONG

Estimate
5,000,000 - 7,000,000 HKD
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Description

with a finely potted domed body rising to a waisted neck and flared rim, reserved around the sides with a horizontal panel enclosing the poem Sanqing cha ('Three Purity Tea') composed by the Qianlong Emperor, written in regular script, ending with two seals reading Qian and Long, set between two bands of ruyi heads and florets on a pink scroll ground, the shoulder delicately enamelled with finger citron, plum blossoms and pine growing amidst leafy branches, all below a key-fret band, the spout emerging from a band of ruyi heads and decorated with lotus sprays, with an iron-red bat hovering below, the loop handle with further lotus sprays, tied to the top with a simulated ribbon, the neck with a band of pendent leaves under a scroll border, the rim gilt, inscribed on the base with the six-character seal mark in iron red

Provenance

A Parisian private collection, acquired in France from a provincial antiques dealer.
Sotheby's Hong Kong, 8th April 2007, lot 505.

Condition

The teapot is in fairly good condition with the enamels very well preserved. There are several minor condition issues which in no way detract from the beauty of the piece: a small restored chip to the tip of the spout (approx 0.5 by 0.3 cm) and associated hairline crack running down the spout, visible from the exterior of approx 4 cm; an additional short hairline crack of approx 1.1 cm at the neck; and minute losses to the enamel, mostly concentrated to the upper pink scroll band, some of which have been repainted.
"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."

Catalogue Note

The teapot, part of a tea set used by the Qianlong Emperor at tea ceremonies held during New Year's celebrations, contains one of his favourite poems, Sanqing cha ('Three Purity Tea').  The Qianlong Emperor wrote this poem in the bingyin year (in accordance with 1746), on the occasion of his 36th birthday while sipping tea in his studio on a cold winter's day. The poem describes the tea made from plum blossoms, finger citron, and pine nut kernels. These three ingredients are brewed in snow water, giving the tea a pure quality and special flavour. The poem further describes the virtues of tea making.  Simplicity, austerity and purity of tea drinking reminds the Emperor of Buddhist values. 

The poem is recorded in Qing gaozong yuzhi shiwen quanji [Anthology of imperial Qianlong poems and prose], Yuzhi shiwen chuji [Imperial poems, vol. 1], juan 36, p. 17. The following translation by Clarence F. Shangraw is published in 'Chinese Lacquers in Asian Art Museum of San Francisco', Orientations, April 1986, p. 41:

          Plum blossoms appear too chastened, 
          Buddha hand citron too fragrant
          pine nut kernels carry the taste of richness and rarity,
          tea like these three would be out of the ordinary.
          The water for tea is simply boiled in a broken-legged pot,
          so thoroughly that its heat could penetrate through a basket of snow.
          Flames shaped like fish and crabs show the strength of the fire as the smoke of             the stove appears and disappears in turn.
          The Tea like 'fairy's milk' is poured into a Yuezhou tea bowl, here in my studio,
          just as I am taking an interest in Buddhist thoughts.
          The principles of the 'five yun' refer primarly to purity, (like tea) for they defy
          exposition, but can be readily understood.
          The pure, naturally aromatic tea is passed around with hands as soft as a cotton
          ball.
          This tea would be a suitable drink for the immortal Wu Chuan and would
          certainly be appreciate by Lin Pu.
          But I am too lazy to have tea sipping parties like a Zhao Zhu and I cannot help
          but laugh at the artfulness of a Yu Chuan.
          I listen to the sound of the water clock
          In the still cold night, 
          I look out, gazing at the crescent moon in the sky.
          After drinking some wine and tea at my small table, I feel so elated I seek apt
          verses to express my thoughts.  

See a Qianlong iron-red bowl decorated with this poem, in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, included in the exhibition Emperor Qianlong's Grand Cultural Enterprise, Taipei, 2002, cat. no. 51; and another from the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing, exhibited in The Life of Qianlong, Macao Museum of Art, Macao, 2002, cat. no. 79.

Compare also a yellow-ground famille-rose teapot of related shape, one side painted with a landscape scene and the other with the poem 'Preparing Tea in the Rain' by the Qianlong Emperor, sold in our New York rooms, 22nd March 2000, lot 135. A Qianlong teapot of different form, in the Palace Museum, Beijing, similarly inscribed with the poem 'Preparing Tea in the Rain' and decorated with a corresponding landscape scene, is illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Porcelains with Cloisonné Enamel decoration and Famille Rose Decoration, Hong Kong, 1999, pl. 108.

A further example of a Qianlong teapot painted with the Emperor's poem, together with a pair of matching bowls and a tray is included in Kangxi. Yongzheng. Qianlong. Qing Porcelain from the Palace Museum Collection, Hong Kong, 1989, pl. 12; another pink-ground teapot with a design of chrysanthemums in panels in famille rose is published ibid., pl. 46; and a celadon-ground teapot in the Chang Foundation, illustrated in Selected Chinese Ceramics from Han to Qing Dynasties, Taipei, 1990, pl. 162.