Antique/Vintage Porcelain Cat Teapot, Chinese Republic (19420F-XAS)

Description

In China and Japan, cats are often portrayed as small-teapots that provide individualized tea servings and better retain heat. White porcelain was the preferred pottery form for preparing tea as it was viewed as more elegant. Since Mao (猫), the word for cat, is a homophone for octogenarian, it is a well-known Chinese longevity symbol (shou 壽). Chinese-Republic antique-vintage cat-teapots are often portrayed with a raised paw as its spout, a popular motif of a “beckoning cat” like the famous Japanese Maneki Neko widely used in feng shui, especially among Chinese merchants, as a greeting and welcoming gesture and to promote and maintain positive energy (chi) and bring in good luck and fortune. Porcelain cats often have long ribbons (shoudai) around their necks, a homophone symbolizing longevity (shou 壽). These charming vintage/antique porcelain functional-and-utilitarian pouring-vessels will enrich any space and their symbolic wish for a long life and good luck make them appropriate gifts for any occasion, especially birthdays. Its condition is excellent with minor normal dark dot-like firing imperfections, discoloration and scratches demonstrating its age and use. As with all antique-Chinese-ceramics-and-pottery teaware we advise they be used only for decorative purposes. They make great kitchen-accessories and are the perfect gift for a cat lover. This piece is an antique/vintage piece from the Qing Dynasty or Chinese-Republic and is part of the VA Antique-Chinese-Ceramics-and-Pottery Collection.