Teapot

The teapot is complete. It is rectangular with rounded corners. The top has a recessed tray of the same shape as the body. The top is straight, and continues into a drooping shoulder that flares out towards its rim, which is corrugated. Below the shoulder, the wall is narrowed, before bulging and narrowing again at the base. The foot is swollen and has a wide, flat fulcrum. The bottom is recessed and flat. The teapot has a vertical handle with a flat top and a massive, rectangular protrusion at the top. The lower part of the vertical portion curves towards the wall, while the inside has a bulging protrusion near its base. Its upper end is folded down and slightly curved to join the shoulder, while its lower end is rounded. The lower end rests on the wall and is oval in shape. The cross-section is oval. The spout is curved like a swan’s neck. Flared at its junction with the wall opposite the handle, it is tapered towards its anterior end; its top is flat and has a long, oval, covered opening on its posterior portion. A mold line runs lengthwise through the middle of the teapot’s outer surface. The inner wall, at its junction with the spout, features a filter made of rows of circular holes arranged in a triangle pointing downwards. There’s a mark printed in blue below the bottom: it consists of a square made of two lines and contains symbols. There is a crack in the wall below the spout. The spout has been broken and repaired with glue ; The decoration is molded, painted on the cover and applied by underglaze printing (Transfer printed); the painted decoration is gilded and the printed decoration is blue with an oriental motif (Two Temples). The molded decoration is visible around the shoulder, which is wavy. Printed decoration is visible on the shoulder and outer wall, as well as on the handle and spout. The decoration on the shoulder consists of a complex frieze of five different motifs, some of which are repeated alternately. Below the rim is a braid made of a row of small pearls in reserve, with a core. This is followed by a band composed of two alternating motifs, separated by a solid band in dark blue adorned with a half-flower and two scrolls in reserve; it is bordered at its base by a latticework with central crosses and itself bordered by a scroll. One of the main motifs is a latticework with central crosses; it is bordered by an acanthus leaf and features a central Chinese motif, the full Ju-i with a small core in reserve. This lattice supports two mirrored Greciques, bordered by a scroll of pearls and a cluster of pearls. The other motif features a hexagonal diamond background with a core bordered by a dark-blue volute, cut at the edge into two half-flowers to accommodate a butterfly with outstretched wings. The butterfly is encircled by two areas with a fish-scale motif and closed by scrolls. The decoration on the wall is repeated on the two opposite outer walls and consists of an oriental scene of islands, two of which are linked by a bridge spanning a river. On one of the islands stand two tiered temples with dark blue roofs, each with an entrance and staircase; in one of them stands a figure, presumably. These temples are surrounded by trees, and tiered rocks lie on the shore. Behind the temples is a wall with three sections intersecting at right angles; one section has three rectangular windows. The island borders a river to the left, spanned by a single-arched stone bridge, seen in profile, on which two bald figures stand, following one another. Behind the bridge, the temple island is enclosed by a fence with four angled compartments and a post; the compartments are decorated with a central rectangle. The bridge leads to another island lined with rocks and trees, including a willow tree. In the foreground, a fence crosses the river, with angled compartments decorated with swastikas. The rest of the wall is occupied by an island with pavilions, a tiered pagoda, trees and rocks. There is a single-arched bridge on this island. The decoration printed on the cove is found on its vertical portion and on its top: it’s a vertical row of leaves, tendrils and flowers divided into mirrors. The same decoration is applied to the top of the spout. The outer base of the spout is composed of three stylized rocks emerging from the water; plant stems emerge from the upper rock. The junction of the frieze is barely visible, whereas the junction of the decorations on the wall is obvious. There is gilding on the edge and around the shoulder, as well as a fillet on either side of the full length of the beak. There is also a residue of gilding on the top of the beak.