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Inscription of Purple Clay Teapots in QianLong Period

Because the favor of tea-drinking for Emperor QianLong, lots of places made purple clay teapots as articles of tribute, lots of them are requisite and rich changes in decorations.

In local, the style of teapots in QianLong period was so extraordinarily beautiful, especially on the decoration of teapots, they used the famille rose, Jun muffle stove glaze, slip decorations, etc, they were all have a distinctive (or unique) style, on the one hand was for exporting, on the other hand was for catering the need of merchant princes and city residents. These works embodied the typical characteristics of QianLong period in todays world.

This "Tanran House" teapot is the typical work during the QianLong Period, the method was painted the famille rose on the fired base, to fired for second time, the full filled glaze sealed the original characteristic of purple clay teapot, so it was not prevalent after QianLong and Jiaqing Periods. Only current years, it appeared some imitations, but no matter the glaze or the paintings are inferior to the past.

Six-sides square teapot with lion button was made by Shao Ruiyuan. This shape is similar to the export six-sides square teapot with lion button which collected by Flagstaff House Museum of Teaware in HK. But the salvaged teapot was no bead in the lion's mouth. As well as no inscription, but it is more exquisite than the collected one.

Another piece of six-sides golden lined teapot was made by Dong Yongji, a little higher neck, three curl flow-mouth, circle handle is generous. steadiness and stability,it is a rare decoration, painted as overall Xiu painting and then golden tining to show the gay colors.

Throughout the arts of purple clay teapot among the people in QianLong Period, shape was clean I and simple, generous, with lots of decorative methods, no big change on the inscription, the technique was much more tasteful.

There was a merchant ship belonged to Dutch East Indian Company, which carried 150,000 pieces of porcelain and 680,000 pounds of tea struck a rock and sank deep into the sea. After 232 years later, it was gotten out of water. Most of those porcelain vessels were come from the Jingdezlien non-governmental kilns during Kangxi and QianLong Periods.

People discovered eight pieces of Yixing puiple clay teapots in the shipwrecks, they should be the souvenirs for shipment journey to the east In April, 1986, these teapots were obtained by Luo Guixiang in theincunabular auction of Amsterdam, The Netherlands, now they were collected by the Flagstaff House Museum of Teaware in HK. Only a small red clay pot had an inscription on the bottom, carved as "Yuxiang Studio".

The ship was loaded ship which set off from Nanjing in 1752. The small red clay pot with inscription of "Yuxiang Studio" should be an early work in QianLong Period. But without any records, it is hard to do textual research, But the unearthed teapot could give us an proof on doing research for the style and inscriptions of purple clay teapots in early-Qing Dynasty. The inscription of "Yuxiang Studio", red clay teapot maybe the business entity of socializing mass production, ft is said that this kind of teapots were discovered in the region of south of Fujian Province, as well as the "Yuxiang Studio1' red clay teapots.

Main point to appreciate, the shape is similar to a lantern, roundish curl bottom feet, round line caver is anastomosed with the mouth, the button and the cover are one integrated mass, three curl flow-mouth, engraved a painting of boiling tea in the garden on one side, on the other side, a cemeo of Emperor Qianlong's poem, and sealed as roundish character as Qian, as square character as Long, in clerical script. Because of the exquisite technique, it should be the royal product.