A VERY RARE IMPERIAL TWO-COLOUR CINNABAR-LACQUERED YIXING TEAPOT AND COVER

Qianlong

Qianlong
The purple clay teapot covered in red lacquer and finely carved with confronted phoenix amongst a profusion of leafy, flowering peony stems, reserved on a black floral diaper ground, the foot, rim and finial with bands of key-fret design, the spout and handle with ruyi motif borders, the domed cover similarly decorated and surmounted by a spherical finial. 18.3cm (7 1/4in) long. (2).

清乾隆 御製紫砂胎剔紅鳳穿牡丹紋壺

Provenance:
Spink & Son Ltd., London
E. A. Parry (1879-1946), London, acquired from the above on 30 October 1919, and thence by descent

來源：
倫敦古董商Spink & Son Ltd.
倫敦E. A. Parry（1879-1946）舊藏，於1919年10月30日購自上者，並由後人保存迄今

The present lavishly carved two-colour cinnabar lacquer Yixing teapot and cover, was made for use at the Imperial Court. The design on each main side of a pair of phoenix flanking a blossoming tree peony, indicates it was likely made for use by the Empress or one of the Imperial consorts.

Carved cinnabar lacquer teapots were first made during the late Ming dynasty; see from the Qing Court Collection, an ovoid octagonal 'dragon and phoenix' teapot and cover, Jiajing mark and period; a further development of combining carved lacquer on an Yixing body, can be seen in a rectangular teapot and cover, bearing the mark of Shi Dabin, late Ming dynasty, also from the Qing Court Collection, decorated with figures in landscape; see The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Lacquer Wares of the Yuan and Ming Dynasties, Hong Kong, 2006, nos.145 and 198.

Embellished Yixing teapots continued during the Qing dynasty from the reign of the Kangxi Emperor, with the Imperial Ateliers also experimenting with other methods of decoration such as famille rose enamels. During the Yongzheng and Qianlong reigns, Yixing teapots were also decorated in gilt lacquer; for examples see Geng Baochang, The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Purple Sandy Ware, Shanghai, 2008, nos.4, 25 and 26. A related carved cinnabar lacquer Yixing teapot and cover, Qianlong gilt seal mark and period, in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, is illustrated in Carving the Subtle Radiance of Colors: Treasured Lacquerware in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, 2007, no.146. A further unmarked example, 18th century from the K.S.Lo Collection, in the Flagstaff House Museum of Tea Ware, Hong Kong, is illustrated in The Art of the Yixing Potter, Hong Kong, 1990, p.150, pl.35.

The symbolism of the phoenix on the teapot, according to the 'Classic of Mountains and Seas' (Shanhai Jing), embodies benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and sincerity: all attributes of which an Empress should possess. The subject also symbolises the wish for marital harmony by showing the phoenix as a pair. In addition to this, the peony is a symbol of wealth and prosperity and is sometimes known as the 'flower of riches and honour' (fugui hua). The ruyi lappets around the spout and handle represent the wish for long life.

Compare with a related cinnabar lacquered Yixing teapot, Qianlong, which was sold at Sotheby's London, 11 May 2016, lot 78. See also a cinnabar lacquered Yixing teapot, Qianlong mark and period, which was sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 1 December 2010, lot 3097.

壺紫砂胎，圓鼓腹，環柄，曲流，圈足。通體髹漆，深色錦地，壺身每側各有兩隻翔鳳飛舞於牡丹花叢之間，鳳鳥姿態靈活，牡丹枝葉婉轉，花形圓滿，整體雍容華貴，富麗堂皇。

剔紅執壺最早見於明後期，可見清宮舊藏一例明嘉靖剔紅龍鳳紋八棱式執壺，底刻「大明嘉靖年制」楷書款，及一例明晚期「時大彬」款紫砂胎剔紅山水人物圖執壺，均收錄於《故宮博物院藏文物珍品全集：元明漆器》，香港，2006年，編號145與198。

康熙時期大量湧現以宜興紫砂為胎，外施彩釉的紫砂壺；雍正時更以描金為飾，參見《故宮博物院藏文物珍品大系：紫砂器》，上海，2008年，編號4、25與26三例。台北國立故宮博物院館藏一例清乾隆宜興胎剔紅雜寶茶壺，收錄於《和光剔彩——故宮藏漆》，台北，2007，編號146。另見香港藝術館茶具文物館藏羅桂祥博士舊藏一例十八世紀執壺，收錄於《宜興陶藝》，香港，1990年，頁150，圖版35。

鳳穿牡丹為中國傳統吉祥紋飾，鳳凰為鳥中之王，牡丹為花中之王，表明本例執壺或為皇后或宮中某位妃嬪所用。 《山海經》載，鳳凰羽毛的花紋形似「德」、「義」、「禮」、「仁」、「信」五個文字，象徵皇后五德兼備。

倫敦蘇富比曾售一例清乾隆宜興紫砂胎剔紅八寶紋茶壺，2016年5月11日，拍品編號78，可為參考。另有一例清乾隆宜興紫砂剔紅蓮紋茶壼，售於香港佳士得，2010年12月1日，拍品編號3097，可資比對。