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Teapot [Théière Calabre]

The egg-shaped body, capped by a very shallow domed cover with a gilded fruit knob, has a rather slender spout and an ear-shaped handle that is known as the théière calabre (Calabria teapot). The body of this piece has two chinoiserie scenes. The first depicts a young man wearing exotic clothing and a hat, seated on the ground and chatting with a small child who squats cross-legged beside him while pointing up to the sky. The second scene...shows a young, elegant woman resting against a rock while a seated child holds a very carefully detailed parasol over her head as protection from the sun. Landscape elements are seen in the background including a plant at the left and a tree at the right. Other aspects of the design include an unusual gilding of scrolls, lightning bolts, winged dragons, phoenix birds, irregular shapes and stylized Oriental flowers. The curvilinear decoration wends around the base and top of the piece creating a pattern that would later be of use to art nouveau designers in the 1890s. There is a shield-like design on the spout; a shagreen type pattern is found on the cover.

from Weisberg, A Taste for Porcelain: The Virginia A. Marten Collection of Decorative Arts (Notre Dame, 2014)

Metadata

Creator
Sèvres Porcelain Manufactory (French, active 1756 - present)
Charles-Eloi Asselin (French, 1743 - 1804)
Date
1779
Classification
Decorative Arts
Medium
Hard paste porcelain with gilding
Dimensions
5 1/2 x 4 5/8 x 7 1/4 in. (13.97 x 11.75 x 18.42 cm)
Credit Line
Virginia A. Marten Endowment for Decorative Arts
Accession Number
2009.030
Campus Location
Snite Museum of Art
Access

Not on view, please request access

Copyright Status
Public domain
Subject
children
Chinoiserie
figures
landscapes
men
women
Contact Us

Our collection information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. If you have spotted an error, please contact Snite Museum of Art at RMMACollections@nd.edu.

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Body of Teapot [Théière Calabre]

Body of Teapot [Théière Calabre]

Cover of Teapot [Théière Calabre]

Cover of Teapot [Théière Calabre]

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