Teapot and cover
Date1745-1749
Artist/Maker
Chelsea Porcelain Manufactory
1745-1769
OriginEngland, Chelsea
MediumSoft-paste porcelain
DimensionsOH: 6 3/4"; OW: 4 1/2"; H. without cover: 5 6/16"; H. of spout: 5 3/16"; H. with cover: 6 3/4".
Credit LineMuseum Purchase
Object number1962-98,A&B
DescriptionA white teapot in the form of an Asian man with feet crossed and stomach and chest bare. His hands hold a snake which is curled around the gnarled tree that forms the loop handle, and curves around the right side of the pot to form a projecting spout. The cover is in the form of a conical hat with fruit and leaves as the finial. Incised triangle under glaze on base.Label TextMolded as a squatting Asian man, this teapot has a snake forming the spout, a handle in the form of twisted branches, and a conical hat-form lid. It is less rare that Chelsea’s Asian-man-and-parrot teapot (see CWF accession 1962-83), for at least two are in other prominent museum collections--the British Museum and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston--and others are held in private collections. Other vessels in the form of squatting Asian men include tea jars and incense burners. As these forms require no spout, they are more reminiscent of the many blanc de chine figures of Pu-tai Ho-shang.Inscription(s)NoneMark(s)Incised triangle underglaze on base.ProvenanceEx-coll: Wallace Elliot; M. G. Kaufman (K35).
