Live Auction 2818European Noble and Private Collections
A Chinese verte-imari 'the Bird-Catcher' teapot and cover
Lot 499

A Chinese verte-imari 'the Bird-Catcher' teapot and cover

CIRCA 1735

Closed1 April 2009

Price Realised

EUR 1,500

Considering selling a similar item?

Discover its value with a complimentary estimate from our specialists.

More Information

How to sell

A Chinese verte-imari 'the Bird-Catcher' teapot and cover
Circa 1735
Of compressed globular form, decorated primarily in iron-red and gilt with details picked out in blue, green and aubergine enamels, with a European gentleman and a lady seated on a terrace with an open bird-cage, the gentleman holding a bird, two birds flying above and a fourth in the foreground, grazed chip to cover, some rubbing to gilt
9 cm. high

Specialist note

According to Howard and Ayers the design on this teapot was copied from a European orginal by Pater and is commonly known as 'The Bird Seller', although the meaning of the image is more allegorical.
See Hervouët and Bruneau, La Porcelaine des Compagnies des Indes à Décor Occidental, Paris, 1986, p. 90, fig. 4.26 for a teabowl and saucer of this design.