† A ROBIN'S-EGG-GLAZED YIXING TEAPOT, 18TH-19TH CENTURY, WITH AN OBSCURED MARK REVEALED BY
† A ROBIN'S-EGG-GLAZED YIXING TEAPOT, 18TH-19TH CENTURY, WITH AN OBSCURED MARK REVEALED BY X-RAY
China. Of gentle baluster form with a short circular mouth, the C-shaped handle opposite an elegantly curved spout, the domed circular cover with a pierced knop at the center. The exterior covered overall in a thick layer of mottled turquoise and dark purplish-blue glaze.
Expert's note
X-ray imagery clearly reveals an illegible square mark at the center of the base, concealed beneath the glaze. Such marks are not uncommon on Yixing wares of this type and may be partially or entirely obscured by the heavy glaze. Comparable teapots from this group frequently show the same feature, as demonstrated by the examples cited in the comparisons below.
Provenance: Alvin Lo Oriental Art, New York, USA. The storage box with a Chinese label, 'Yixing teapot, 4'.
Alvin Lo is a fourth-generation art collector and dealer specializing in Asian art, with particular expertise in Chinese jades and works of art. He is the fourth son of P. C. Lu, one of the most influential Hong Kong art dealers of the twentieth century. Raised in a family deeply rooted in the art world, Lo developed an early and discerning eye for quality and authenticity. In the 1990s, he founded Alvin Lo Oriental Art in Midtown Manhattan before returning to Hong Kong in the mid-2000s, where he continues his work. Over the past decades, he has published numerous scholarly catalogs and organized exhibitions internationally.
Condition: Excellent condition with only minor wear.
Weight: 443 g
Dimensions: Length 18.6 cm
With a padded storage box. (2)
The 'robin's egg' glaze represents a significant technical innovation of the preceding Yongzheng period attributable to Tang Ying (1682-1756), the greatest porcelain superintendent in Chinese history. The Yongzheng Emperor, who initiated many revivals of earlier ceramic techniques, was particularly enamored with the variegated Jun glazes of the Song and Ming dynasties. In order to have the glazes recreated or imitated, Tang Ying sent his trusted assistant from the Imperial kilns in Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province, on study trips to the Jun region in Henan province to learn from the local potters. Among the many types of glazes derived from those efforts are mottled purple ones such as the flambé variety, and mottled turquoise ones such as 'robin's egg', which Tang Ying termed Lu Jun or Oven Jun, (Jingdezhen Institute of Ceramic Archaeology et al, The Cultures of Porcelain Superintendents and Jingdezhen, conference volume, Nanchang, 2011).
Literature comparison:
Compare a related robin's egg glazed teapot with a partially obscured mark, dated Qing dynasty, 19.5 cm tall, in the Palace Museum, reference number 新00088981.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Sotheby's London, 10 June 2004, lot 340
Price: GBP 9,000 or approx.
EUR 19,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A 'robin's egg' yixing teapot and cover, Qing dynasty, Qianlong period
Expert remark: Compare the similar form and glaze. Note the Wang Nanlin zhi mark.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Christie's New York, 14 September 2012, lot 1557
Price: USD 30,000 or approx.
EUR 37,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: An unusual yixing 'robin's egg'-glazed faceted teapot and cover, 18th century
Expert remark: Compare the similar glaze. Note the form and size (19 cm). Further note that the mark is also obscured by the glaze.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie's London, 15 May 2007, lot 304
Price: GBP 9,600 or approx.
EUR 19,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: An unusual robin's-egg-glazed yixing teapot and cover, 19th century
Expert remark: Compare the similar form, glaze, and obscured seal mark.
13% VAT will be added to the hammer price additional to the buyer's premium - only for buyers within the EU.
Buyer's Premium
30%
Sale price
Estimate
Time, Location
Auction House
† A ROBIN'S-EGG-GLAZED YIXING TEAPOT, 18TH-19TH CENTURY, WITH AN OBSCURED MARK REVEALED BY X-RAY
China. Of gentle baluster form with a short circular mouth, the C-shaped handle opposite an elegantly curved spout, the domed circular cover with a pierced knop at the center. The exterior covered overall in a thick layer of mottled turquoise and dark purplish-blue glaze.
Expert's note
X-ray imagery clearly reveals an illegible square mark at the center of the base, concealed beneath the glaze. Such marks are not uncommon on Yixing wares of this type and may be partially or entirely obscured by the heavy glaze. Comparable teapots from this group frequently show the same feature, as demonstrated by the examples cited in the comparisons below.
Provenance: Alvin Lo Oriental Art, New York, USA. The storage box with a Chinese label, 'Yixing teapot, 4'.
Alvin Lo is a fourth-generation art collector and dealer specializing in Asian art, with particular expertise in Chinese jades and works of art. He is the fourth son of P. C. Lu, one of the most influential Hong Kong art dealers of the twentieth century. Raised in a family deeply rooted in the art world, Lo developed an early and discerning eye for quality and authenticity. In the 1990s, he founded Alvin Lo Oriental Art in Midtown Manhattan before returning to Hong Kong in the mid-2000s, where he continues his work. Over the past decades, he has published numerous scholarly catalogs and organized exhibitions internationally.
Condition: Excellent condition with only minor wear.
Weight: 443 g
Dimensions: Length 18.6 cm
With a padded storage box. (2)
The 'robin's egg' glaze represents a significant technical innovation of the preceding Yongzheng period attributable to Tang Ying (1682-1756), the greatest porcelain superintendent in Chinese history. The Yongzheng Emperor, who initiated many revivals of earlier ceramic techniques, was particularly enamored with the variegated Jun glazes of the Song and Ming dynasties. In order to have the glazes recreated or imitated, Tang Ying sent his trusted assistant from the Imperial kilns in Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province, on study trips to the Jun region in Henan province to learn from the local potters. Among the many types of glazes derived from those efforts are mottled purple ones such as the flambé variety, and mottled turquoise ones such as 'robin's egg', which Tang Ying termed Lu Jun or Oven Jun, (Jingdezhen Institute of Ceramic Archaeology et al, The Cultures of Porcelain Superintendents and Jingdezhen, conference volume, Nanchang, 2011).
Literature comparison:
Compare a related robin's egg glazed teapot with a partially obscured mark, dated Qing dynasty, 19.5 cm tall, in the Palace Museum, reference number 新00088981.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Sotheby's London, 10 June 2004, lot 340
Price: GBP 9,000 or approx.
EUR 19,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A 'robin's egg' yixing teapot and cover, Qing dynasty, Qianlong period
Expert remark: Compare the similar form and glaze. Note the Wang Nanlin zhi mark.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Christie's New York, 14 September 2012, lot 1557
Price: USD 30,000 or approx.
EUR 37,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: An unusual yixing 'robin's egg'-glazed faceted teapot and cover, 18th century
Expert remark: Compare the similar glaze. Note the form and size (19 cm). Further note that the mark is also obscured by the glaze.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie's London, 15 May 2007, lot 304
Price: GBP 9,600 or approx.
EUR 19,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: An unusual robin's-egg-glazed yixing teapot and cover, 19th century
Expert remark: Compare the similar form, glaze, and obscured seal mark.
13% VAT will be added to the hammer price additional to the buyer's premium - only for buyers within the EU.
Buyer's Premium
30%
Sale price
Estimate
Time, Location
Auction House
