Antique Shiwan Stoneware Tea Pourer, China (19445GOK), $395

Description

Stoneware teapots like this were commonly used in Chinese villages as domestic wares, often accompanied by a a set of cups. This hexagonal pot is finely designed with deep crevices at the joint of each facet, a small curved spout and small round lid with fitted stopper, and a yoked rounded handle with spiral decorations was based on a wood prototype of a tea caddy with a raised horizontal band slightly above the mid-point of the pot  molded to resemble the metal band that held the components of a wood tea caddy together and the top resembles the horizontal locking mechanism that slid into the flaring vertical sidepieces. This teapot is a prototypical piece made in Shiwan kilns recognized for their fine modeling, vivid expression, and colorful glazes. Reaching their height during the late Ming and early Qing dynasties when they were known as the “Pottery Capital” these kilns create functional wares for daily use . Shiwan potters mixed waste materials with local coarse sand and inexpensive clay, perhaps one of the earliest and artistic forms of recycling. Using long “dragon kilns” with uneven heating they created unique artistic effects and a wide range of distinctive colors including the apple-green and drip glaze.  Although historically overshadowed by imperial kilns, appreciation for Shiwan wares and their unique glazes has grown in the past several decades, and they are now prized as a distinctive, respected, and collected art form. It is in excellent condition with minor discoloration and wear consistent with age. The catalogue of the Chinese Cultural Foundation of Chicago exhibit of Shiwan Ceramics includes an almost identical piece (page 51).

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