A RARE CLOISONNE ENAMEL MELON-SHAPED TEAPOT QING DYNASTY, 18TH CENTURY

the six-lobed ovoid body decorated with a dense design of gourds and flowers growing from leafy vines with off-shooting curling tendrils on a turquoise ground, one side cast in raised relief with larger leaves and to ripe melons, another fitted with a gnarled 'branch' handle intertwined with tendrils, set opposite a similar upright 'branch' spout, all below a small domed cover with a short stem finial

Collection of the Marquise Marie-Therese de la Coussaye.

The present teapot belonged to the Marquise Marie-Therese de la Coussaye who was born in Paris in 1900. The Marquise inherited the teapot from her father, a French military officer who had business in China where the teapot was presented to him as a diplomatic gift in the mid 19th century. It is said that this teapot was part of a set of five wares possibly kept in the Changchun dian (Eternal Spring Palace) located in north-west corner of the Inner Court of the Forbidden City (by repute).

The ewer is in good overall condition with the exception of five light depressions to the body (4x3cm., 2 ,1, 1 and 0.8cm. diam.) and associated loss to the enamel, some further minor losses to the enamel on the spout and handle, and characteristic areas of enamel shrinkage and pitting.
"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."

It is rare to find a cloisonne teapot of this type and no other closely related example appears to be recorded. In its decoration the present teapot is comparable with gourd-shaped vessels decorated with gourd vines; see a double-gourd cloisonne vase lustrated in Gunhild Gabbert Avitabile, Die Ware aus dem Teufelsland, Hannover, 1981, pl. 114; a champleve gourd-shaped vessel inlaid with jade published in The Gathering of Select Gems from Shenyang Imperial Palace Museum Collection, Shenyang, 1991, pl. 43; and a famille rose vase painted with leafy flowering gourd vines and fruit included in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Porcelains with Cloisonne Enamel Decoration and Famille Rose Decoration, Hong Kong, 1999, pl. 116.

In its form this teapot is reminiscent of a small melon-shaped cloisonne vase of the Qianlong period included in the exhibition Chinese Cloisonne. The Clague Collection, Phoenix Art Museum, Phoenix, 1980, cat . no. 29. See also a Xuande cloisonne melon-shaped lampstand with melon and butterfly design published in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Metal-bodied Enamel Ware, Hong Kong, 2002, pl 34.

A porcelain teapot of similar form is also illustrated in Hsiang Yuan-Pien Noted Porcelains of Successive Dynasties, pl 38 and described as Ch'eng ware of the Ming Dynasty.