Porcelain Cat Teapot, Chinese Republic, China (19420A)

Description

In China and Japan, cats are often portrayed as small clear glazed white porcelain which was viewed as elegant. Small pots to provide individualized tea servings were used to offer many advantages. They assured tea was hot when poured, allowed maximum use of leaves, limited bitterness and made brewing more precise as water was infused with flavor faster. Cats were popular pot motifs since the word for cat (Mao) is a homophone for octogenarian and a well-known Chinese longevity symbol. Qing dynasty and Chinese Republic teapots have a raised paw spout of a “beckoning cat” like the Japanese Maneki Neko used in feng shui. Chinese merchants used them as a welcoming gesture, to promote and maintain positive energy (chi) and bring good luck into their store. These cats wear long ribbons around their necks, symbolizing longevity. They enrich any space, especially a kitchen. Their symbolic wishes for long life and good luck make them great gifts for any occasion: birthdays, housewarmings and weddings.

This charming teapot is whimsical and colorful with a thick dark red collar ribbon, a matching ornamental bow, and a ball under its left paw. Black, orange, red and blue accents define the cat’s face, ears, head, paws and the ball.  Its head is removable and it has a long sinuous tail handle, and opening at the end of its paw spout to serve tea. Red Chinese characters identifying the maker were a double stamped seal on the bottom, which is rather unusual.  Its condition is excellent with normal dark dot-like firing imperfections and minor scratches from age and its use.