Underappreciated Teapot Earns Surprised Owner $1 Million at Auction

The Qianlong teapot that sold for $1 million in the UK in early November. The green glaze celadon pot has a finial of a peach and pip on the lid, and is dated back to the 18th century. (Photo source: dukes-auction.com/photography by Jonathan Gooding)

A Dorset England resident’s celadon ceramic teapot with aslightly cracked lid earned more than $1 million last week at auction.

When the owner of the teapot – whowishes to remain anonymous – called Lee Young of Duke’sAuctioneers to appraise some ornaments, he wasn’t expecting this outcome. Theteapot was originally thought to sell for a few thousand pounds but when theauction began, interest quickly grew into a bidding war. It took only 10 minutesas 10 buyers across the globe bid in increments of $20,000 until one upped thegame to $1.04 million GBP800,000. Adding auction fees brought the total to $1.35million.

The pear-shaped ceramic pot measures 5.1 inches, with a celadonglaze. On its lid is a filial of a peach and a pip. It’s said to be made forthe emperor himself. The spout and the body are linked by a modelled tassel. The Telegraph quotes Young, head ofAsian art at Duke’s Auctions as saying, “This combination of techniques and theoutstanding quality of the potting marks this piece out as an Imperialmasterpiece. It can be compared to similar wares from the Forbidden City andthe Summer Palace in Beijing.”

“When I held it, my heart skipped a beat,” recalled Young, whonoticed the teapot on a shelf and asked the owner for a closer look. He realizedhe was holding something precious. What gave it away was the mark on the baseof the teapot.

The characters that indicate that the teapot was made for Emperor Qianlong of the great Qing dynasty. (Photo source dukes-auction.com/photography by Jonathan Gooding)

According Christie’s Auctions & Private Sales website, “Areign mark records the name of the Chinese dynasty and the reign of the emperorduring which the piece was made. It comprises four or six Chinese characters,and is usually found on the base of a work of art commissioned for the Emperoror his imperial household.”

The reign mark on this teapot indicated that it was from thereign of Emperor Qianlong, which dates it to 18th century (1735-1796). TheManchu ruler had two indulgences – artand tea, composing more than 200 poems on tea. He is said to have held teaparties every year, in the first lunar month and in the Hall of Double Glory(Chonghua Dian) within the Forbidden City. These parties saw attendance by grandsecretaries and ministers and with tea driving the celebrations, poetry waswritten. With such a love for tea, it is a small surprise the tea pots fromthis time were not perfect for the teas that were made. The emperor’s choice ofceramics included some of the finest porcelain and celadon.

Qing antiques have surfaced often in Britain, and the BritishMuseum has a collection on permanent display. This is not the first for a Qingteapot to go under the hammer for a fortune. In September 2016, Sothebys NewYork had a sale of Chinese art. The highlight of the bidding was anotherQianlong teapot that sold for $3.5 million. This one was a turquoise-ground, famille-rose ‘Hui MountainRetreat’ teapot and cover with the Qianlong seal mark and period. The6-7/8 inch teapot was from an old Scottish collection.

Interestingly, many bids from Chinese collectors. Imperial worksfrom the Qianlong period are particularly popular. Henry Howard Sneyd,Sotheby’s chairman of Asian Art, Europe and Americas was quoted as saying, “TheChinese emperors led taste in China, so whatever inspired the emperor, be itjade, bronze or porcelain, drove people’s interest, and the new generation ofrich Chinese collectors are focused on buying the best.”

Chateau Rouge, Christies, Chadao, Alain Truong, Telegraph