Lot 52
  • 52

AN YIXING STONEWARE MANSHENG-TYPE HAT-SHAPED TEAPOT AND COVER BY YANG PENGNIAN, INCISED BY ZHU ANGZHI, QING DYNASTY, DAOGUANG PERIOD, DATED TO THE XINSI YEAR (IN ACCORDANCE WITH 1821)

Estimate
250,000 - 300,000 HKD
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Description

  • stoneware
modelled in the form of a bamboo li hat with a smaller compressed hemispherical bulb resting on a larger one, the exterior carved with a xingshu inscription, the reverse with an additional inscription dated to the spring of the xinsi year (1821) and signed by Qingyun, picked out with a seal mark reading Pengnian under the handlethe base with a four-character seal mark reading Amantuo shi (Studio name of Chen Hongshou)

Provenance

Collection of Pang Yuanji (1867-1947).
The Thomas Y.P. Lee Collection.
E & J Frankel, New York, 2005.

Exhibited

Zisha: The Purple Sand of China. The Lee Collection of Ming and Qing Dynasty Yixing Ware, E & J Frankel, New York, 2005, cat. no. 13.
Tea, Wine and Poetry. Qing dynasty literati and their drinking vessels, University Museum and Art Gallery, the University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 2006, cat. no. 15.

Condition

The teapot is in overall good condition, except for a shallow flake to the spout and a few nicks to the inner mouthrim. The cover has a small chip of approx. 1 cm to the bottom edge and a few minute nicks to the outer rim.
"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 respective inscriptions on the teapot can be translated as:

The state of Buddhahood is worthless.
Under the shape of a bamboo hat on hot days, tea quenches our thirst. Whether one or two, the Buddha never tells.

The teapot is incised by Zhu Angzhi (1764-1840), zi Qingyun, hao Jinli, a native of Wujing, Jiangsu province who was skilled in landscape paintings. According to Molin jinhua [Contemporary Remarks on the Ink World], Zhu also excelled in xingshu and caoshu calligraphy. Another bell-shaped teapot by Yang Pengnian is illustrated by K.S. Lo, Yixing: From the Ming Period to the Present Day, Hong Kong, 1986, fig. 42, where the author notes that its date places it after the death of Chen Mansheng, his most famous patron, but its inscription copies word for word that of another teapot designed by Mansheng, and it is signed Yang Pengnian zhi, in contrast to the current teapot which uses his patron's studio seal, 'Amantuo Shi'.