Archive for June, 2019

Happy Pride 2019!

Sunday, June 30th, 2019

A rainbow of inventive repairs…

Jim Thompson House Museum, Bangkok

Sunday, June 16th, 2019

This past December, Mark and I traveled to Southeast Asia, visiting Cambodia, Thailand, and Bangkok. All the while, I was on the lookout for inventive repairs in museums and antique shops. Although I did not find any examples for sale, I did see quite a few in museums.

Here are some examples of stapled ceramics I stumbled upon at the Jim Thompson House Museum in Bangkok, where I seemed to be the only one who noticed these large stapled beauties hiding in plain sight.

Small Yixing teapot with silver spout, c.1875

Sunday, June 2nd, 2019

This minuscule red stoneware pear shaped Yixing teapot was made in China during the middle to late 1800s. It stands just 2.5 inches high and has an incised mark on the underside.

Although this tiny teapot looks like a child’s miniature, it was made for adults to actually use. As a result of a tea ceremony mishap, the original spout must have snapped off and an expertly executed silver replacement was made. Further evidence of its intended use is a tiny hole on the lid for steam to escape, as well as a strainer inside the replacement spout.

Take a look at this previous post of mine, miniature Yixing teapot with gold cuffs, the only example in my collection with gold repairs.

And if anyone can translate the mark on the bottom, please let me know!

This miniature teapot with similar form suggests what the original spout on my teapot might have looked like.

Photo courtesy of ChinaHao.com