Chinese porcelain teapot and stand with portraits of Chinese men and women, Jiaqing.

Unique (?) Chinese export (?) large oval teapot, cover and stand decorated with portraits of Chinese men and women in elaborate medallions (raised strainer with 10 holes), c. 1800, Jiaqing reign, Qing dynasty, w. 24 cm, 9½ in; h. 15 cm, 6 in. 4-16221

Illustrated: Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art, by A. Varela Santos, 2018/2019, cat. 78.

◆ This teapot could have been part of a unique tea set ordered for the wedding of a young Chinese couple depicted in the centre of the stand and in the lower part of the two sides of the teapot, with the four in-laws in four richly elaborated single person medallions. This suggestion is reinforced with the crossed display in the stand and in the very precise depiction of the sitters treated as real people and not imaginary ones. Although the very large size is common in this period the oval form makes it very unusual. Also, very unusual, is the reddish-brown ground.

All in all, this teapot can be considered a very rare Chinese order for a Chinese family of which there are no other equivalents.

中國外銷瓷（？）開光人物圖橢圓形帶蓋大茶壺及托盤，器身有開光，飾以中式男女肖像畫（十個孔的突出出水口），非常獨特，約1800年，清嘉慶，寬24釐米，9 ½英吋；高15釐米，6英吋。

圖示：《中國陶瓷及工藝精品》，作者阿.瓦瑞拉.山度士，編號 78。

◆ 這隻茶壺有可能是來自一套特別定制的婚禮用茶具。訂單的主人或許就是茶托中間畫著的年輕夫婦，茶壺兩邊靠下處有四個開光分別畫著雙方父母。和別的瓷器上所繪想象中的人物不同，器身畫像里的人物栩栩如生, 加上托盤上的十字圖案，更說明我們猜想的可靠性。儘管嘉慶朝常有大器，但這種橢圓形狀確實難得一見。同樣少見的還有紅棕色的底色。總而言之這隻茶壺可謂非常珍稀，幾乎沒有能與其比較的器皿。