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A fine parcel-gilt silver teapot and cover of hexafoil section, standing on a shaped foot, with a handle in the form of a knotty branch of pine and a bamboo-form spout. Each lobe is decorated with shaped reserves, the four largest with chased scenes of figures in landscapes, the others with fruits and flowers. The cover is similarly decorated and surmounted by a twisting branch of flowering prunus. The characters rui long are prick-engraved on the base.
18th century
Height: 6 1/4”, 16 cm
The characters rui long may be a Chinese personal name or an early Chinese rendering of a European, possibly Germanic, surname.
For a somewhat similar silver teapot, see Forbes et al, Chinese Export Silver 1785-1885, fig. 27, p. 54; and for a parcel-gilt silver teapot, see Forbes, Chinese Export Silver: A Legacy of Luxury, no. 4, illustrated on the cover.
