Hexagonal teapot

Object Details

• Artist

  possibly by Chen Hanwen (active mid-18th century)

• Description

  Hexagonal teapot of ruddy brown unglazed Yixing clay; relief decorations of flower motifs, a landscape and a poem. One seal.

• Marks

  One seal

• Inscriptions

  Poem

• Label

  Either a genuine Qing dynasty pot or a close copy made as late as the 1930s, this pot presents itself as a commission of the Qianlong longe emperor (reigned 1736-1795). After the Qianlong emperor visited Dragon Well, an area in southern China famous for its tea, he commissioned this teapot from a well-known Yixing potter. The poem on the pot was composed by the emperor and describes a storm he encountered on his way to Dragon Well. The calligraphy displays the rounded stroked characteristic of archaic seal script, which Qianlong, who favored antiquarianism, esteemed; the writing and the landscape design on the opposite side are built up in relief with slip (liquid clay). The calligraphy is positioned on the side of the pot that would face the emperor as he poured from it. Its placement demonstrates the regard for calligraphy as the foremost visual art, more important that pictorial imagery.

• Provenance

  Attributed to mid-18th Century, but possibly as late as the 1930s-?

  Perhaps Qianlong Emperor (1711-1799) (reign 1736-1795), Beijing, China, and if so, then likely commissioned from Chen Hanwen (active mid-18th century), but perhaps made later

  [1]

  At least 1915-1939

  Pang Yuanji (1864-1949), method of acquisition unknown [2]

  1939

  Tonying and Company, New York, as agent for Pang Yuanji [3]

  From 1939

  National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, purchased from Tonying and Company, New York [4]

  Notes:

  [1] See Pang Yuanji [Yuan-chi P’ang] “Xu zhai ming tao tu lu” (Catalog of Chinese Pottery in the Collection of Pang Yuanji) [catalog] (Taipei: Published by Author, 191?), vol. 1, p. 41. See also object file for curator’s note dated September 1994, in which the curator cites Pang Yuanji as the former owner of this object, noting that Pang attributed the poem to the Qianlong emperor because the verse appears in Qianlong’s “Collected poetry from the Hall of Happiness and Goodness.” The curator further noted that the poem is preceded by the words “imperially commissioned,” adding, “Pang Yuanji postulates that the Qianlong emperor commissioned this teapot after visiting Dragon Well, a famous tea-producing area near Hangzhou, on one of his inspection tours. The content of the poem substantiates this.” Additionally, see Gerard C.C. Yang, ed., “Yixing Pottery” [exhibition catalog] (Hong Kong: The Urban Council, 1981), p. 20, pl. 9. The author describes the object as “On its six sides are slip decorated landscapes and a poem by the Qianlong emperor.”

  Pang Yuanji (1864-1949) was a prominent, late-Qing collector, connoisseur, and philanthropist, whose collecting activities in the early-twentieth century influenced Western appreciation for Chinese art. Born into a wealthy family of silk merchants, Pang meticulously catalogued his large collection of paintings and ceramics in publications known as Xu Zhai, which American collectors, including Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919) used as catalogues (?) to purchase works from his collection. Pang utilized a network of family dealers to manage most of his sales, and Tonying and Company, founded by Pang’s nephew Zhang Jingjiang (1877-1950), was foremost amongst the group. Following Pang’s death, his collection was largely assumed into the national collections of China.

  [2] See notes 1 and 3.

  [3] See object file for copy of J.E. Lodge letter to C.F. Yau, of Tonying and Company, dated November 18, 1939. In closing, Lodge notes that, “Let me add that in pursuance of our conversation I have added three small cups, NN 1, NN 4, and NN 7, to the I-hsing I had already selected from Mr. Pang’s collection. I trust that this small addition will meet with his approval.” Presumably these cups are F1939.75, F1939.76, and F1939.77, all of which are included in this purchase in the invoice noted in note 3. See also note 1.

  Zhang Renjie 張人傑 (1877–1950), known also as Zhang Jingjiang 張靜江, opened Tonying and Company (Tongyun Gongsi) shortly after he arrived in Paris as an attaché on the staff of Sun Baoqi, the Qing government’s Minister to France. Tonying and Company became a family business first based in Paris at 26 Place St. Georges and then branching out to New York City (665 Fifth Avenue in 1925 and 5 East 57th Street in 1946). In addition to selling art directly to clients, Tonying supplied a number of British dealers, including John Sparks and Bluetts. Zhang used his governmental position in China to acquire high-quality works of art directly from the old Imperial Collection. (His friend Li Shizeng served as chairman of the newly created Palace Museum in 1925 and was responsible for the inventory of the Imperial Collections.) Zhang also oversaw the initial removal of more than half of the Imperial Collections to Shanghai in 1933 following the Japanese invasion of Manchuria. Many imperial works found their way into Western collections through Zhang and other dealers during this time. A great deal of Zhang’s wealth, and therefore the financing of the Nationalist cause, came from profits realized by Tonying.

  Zhang’s business brought him into contact with several Chinese revolutionaries, including Sun Yat-sen(dates), whose activities Zhang funded using Tonying profits. From then on Zhang supported the Guomindang, becoming one of its “Four Elder Statesmen” following Sun’s death in 1925. The next year Zhang masterminded Chiang Kai-shek’s rise to power. In 1928 he became chairman of the National Reconstruction Commission, which was established by the Nationalist Government, and later governor of Zhejiang province, a post he held until January 1930. Zhang left China for good in 1938 after the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese war. He traveled first to Europe and, because of World War II, on to New York City, where he died in 1950.

  Yau “C.F. Yau” Chang Foo (1884-1963), also known as Yao Shulai, was a dealer of Asian art who managed the New York City branch of Tonying and Company, which opened in 1914. C. F. Yau was the younger brother to Yao Hui (1879-1918), wife of Zhang.

  [4] See object files for copy of Tonying and Company, Inc. invoice to the Freer Gallery of Art, dated December 1, 1939, and approved by the Secretary of the Smithsonian November 22, 1939. The object is a part of the Museum’s Freer Gallery of Art collection.

  Research updated December 10, 2024

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Beyond Paper: Chinese Calligraphy on Objects (August 18, 1994 to July 3, 1997)

  Chinese Ceramics (April 11, 1978 to September 4, 1980)

  Untitled Exhibition, Chinese Painting and Ceramics, 1943 (March 22, 1943 to November 13, 1944)

  Untitled Exhibition, Chinese Painting and Ceramics (March 14, 1931 to March 22, 1943)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Pang Yuanji 龐元濟 (1864-1949)

• Origin

  Yixing, Jiangsu province, China

• Credit Line

  Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment

• Type

  Vessel

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1930s, 1750s

• Name

  Pang, Yuanji

• Place

  Jiangsu province, Yixing, China

• Topic

  Art, Calligraphy, Stoneware, Chinese Art, Slip, Ceramics, Flowers, Tea, Landscapes, Qing dynasty (1644 - 1911), Seal script, Poetry, Yixing ware

• Culture

  Chinese

• Object Type

  Vessels (containers)