Description
Antique teapot in bronze metal used for the traditional tea ceremony (Beijing, c.1890).
It has an estimated age of about 130 years. It was recovered from a house in a typical Beijing hutong among other objects and antique furniture. Its state of conservation is perfect.
We highlight its bronze handle in a bird’s shape (bird species is possibly from the Yuhina family). The bronze metal shape has been cast with great precision. The use of decorative elements inspired by nature has been recurrent in all the arts throughout Chinese history. Each element usually has a message, an inspiration or even an objective beyond the mere decorative intention of the object.
We can imagine how our antique bronze teapot has been used over time during the tea ceremony when new guests arrived to the home. The tradition of tea in China is a thousand-year-old cultural heritage. Tea, apart from having excellent health properties, has been and is an element of family and social union. During the tea ceremony, hard-to-resolve conflicts are dealt with, pacts are sealed between enemies, and commercial contracts are signed. For that reason, this antique teapot exudes a special aura of having been present at important moments in many different lives.
We love to see the combination of this antique teapot with one of our antique tables.
- Ref.: AM01100
- Dimensions: 20cm x 11cm x 13cm (Length x Width x Height)
- Age: 130 years approximately
- Material: Bronze
- Origin: Beijing
– HISTORIC NOTE –
Bronze is a mostly copper alloy with a small percentage of tin and several other metals and has been used extensively throughout the planet among many civilizations.
Its existence has been known since the fifth millennium BC. Iron use unseated bronze’s privileged position but it has never gone out of use. Its uses have been manifold, from coins to utensils, and due to its resistance to corrosion, it has been widely used for utensils in contact with seawater. But possibly its most popular use was in the construction of bronze statues.
