Porcelain Cat Teapot, Chinese Republic (19420B-UAS) $145

Description

In China and Japan cats are often portrayed as small-teapots that provide individualized tea servings and better retain heat. White porcelain with a clear glaze was often 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). Qing-dynasty and Chinese-Republic 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 to promote and maintain positive energy (chi) and bring good luck and fortune into their store. These cats often have long ribbons (shoudai) around their necks, a homophone symbolizing longevity (shou 壽). This charming antique/vintage teapot has a raised paw from which to pour tea, a removable head to fill it with water and a sinuous tail handle. The design is whimsical and colorful with a thin ribbon-like red collar, green bow and green, black and red accents defining the expressive face, ears, head and paws, all beautifully hand-painted. As symbolic wishes for a long life and good luck make them unique gifts for any occasion, especially birthdays and as kitchen accessories. It is in excellent with normal dark dot-like firing imperfections and minor scratches from age and use. THe bottom has the factory seal. As with all functional antique teaware, we advise they be used only for decorative purposes.