Small Yixing teapot with silver spout, c.1875

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

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This entry was posted on Sunday, June 2nd, 2019 at 10:13 am and is filed under teapot. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

4 Responses to “Small Yixing teapot with silver spout, c.1875”

  1. Leslie LeFevre-Stratton says:
    June 2, 2019 at 1:29 pm

    This is so adorable and the tin spout is perfect!

  2. Andrew Baseman says:
    June 3, 2019 at 5:07 am

    Thanks Leslie

  3. FvB says:
    August 30, 2019 at 1:01 am

    the first two characters in the left vertical line mean Meng Chen, 孟臣, the potter credited with first creating small Yixing teapots, for Chaozhou gongfu brewing method.

  4. Andrew Baseman says:
    August 30, 2019 at 7:58 am

    Thanks so much for the info, FvB!

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