At Sotheby’s on September 14, more than ten bidders competed for the Qianlong mark and period turquoise ground famille rose ‘Hui mountain retreat’ teapot.
One of only two known, the front features a figure, possibly the emperor, being served tea while admiring an open handscroll. The reverse is an imperial poem, entitled Jihuiquan peng zhulu ge (Brewing Tea by Hui Swing), written by Qianlong himself following a visit to the Hui Spring during his Southern Inspection Tour. From a private American collection, it soared over its $300,000-500,000 estimate to sell for $2.9m (£2.2m) plus premium.
A similar multi-estimate price was achieved by the Kuroda family Jian tea bowl the prized lot of the Linyushanren collection sold by Christie’s on September 15.
This celebrated Song dynasty (960-1279) survivor with an iron-rich ‘oil-spot’ glaze from the Jian kilns of Fujian province has an especially illustrious history. The epitome of ‘Japanese tatse’ for Chinese pottery, it passed down from generation to generation in the storied Kuroda clan before its registration as ‘Important Cultural Property’ in 1935. In 2015, it was deregistered by the Japanese government at the request of the current owner. Estimated at $1.5-2.5m, it sold at $10.3m (£7.9m).
