Page 22 - Bonhams Fine Chinese Art Nov 2013 London

An incised crackled cream glazed
teapot and cover, Qianlong seal mark
and period, signed Bei Yen;
© The Trustees of the British Museum, Qianlong seal mark
London
20 | Bonhams
The Property of a Gentleman 紳士藏品
12
A soft-paste crackle-glazed teapot and cover
Of elegant rectangular form with a slightly recessed base and a
sharp-angled spout opposite a C-shaped handle, one side carved
with a leafy orchid spray and inscribed on the other, each side signed
Beiyan Shi (northern rock), the cover surmounted by a three-clawed
dragon.
9.9cm (4in) wide (2).
£10,000 - 15,000
HK$120,000 - 190,000 CNY98,000 - 150,000
漿胎白釉刻蘭花紋茶壺 「乾隆年製」篆書刻款
The inscription reads
半甌清茗味回時
北岩氏刻
which may be translated as ‘with half a pot of tea, it is time to
reminisce, carved by Beiyan shi’.
Beiyan, literally meaning ‘northern rock’, lived during the Qianlong
period and was renowned for his regular script calligraphy.
Compare a very similar crackled and cream-glazed teapot with the
same signature Beiyan, Qianlong mark and period, in the collection of
the British Museum (museum ref. no.1945,1016.26).