A MOTHER-OF-PEARL-VENEERED BOX AND COVER AND A YIXING TEAPOT AND COVER Qing Dynasty (3)

A MOTHER-OF-PEARL-VENEERED BOX AND COVER AND A YIXING TEAPOT AND COVER Qing Dynasty Comprising: a mother-of-pearl-veneered box and cover carved to the flat top in partial openwork relief with a rectangular cartouche enclosing peony blooms issuing from leafy tendrils, surrounded by four panels decorated with lotus flowers, the sides carved with panels enclosing peony and tendrils against a diaper background, the base veneered with irregular pieces of mother-of-pearl imitating a cracked-ice effect, the interior carved in reddish lacquer with some gold splashes,16.5cm (6 1/2in) long; and a brown stoneware teapot and cover, the compressed globular body supported on three ball feet, encased with gold at the feet, knob and rims, the lid engraved with a inscription reading gong ju, the base inscribed with a nine-character inscription, 12.6cm (5in) long. (3). Footnotes: Please note this Lot is to be sold at No Reserve. 本拍品不設底價 清 嵌螺鈿鏤雕花卉紋套盒 及宜興紫砂孟臣壺 一組兩件 紫砂壺刻款「貢局」「明月三人太白杯」「孟臣」 Provenance: Ben Janssens Oriental Art, London 來源： 倫敦古董商 Ben Janssens Oriental Art Published, Exhibited and Illustrated: Ben Janssens Oriental Art, Beauty in Asian Art, London, 2019, pp.88-89, no.42 (the teapot) 展覽著錄： Ben Janssens Oriental Art，《Beauty in Asian Art》，倫敦，2019年，第88-89頁，編號42（壺） The inscription on the Yixing teapot reads: 明月三人太白杯 Which can be literally translated as: Three people enjoying the bright moon and a cup of wine by Li Bai. This sentence probably derives from Tang dynasty Li Bai's (701-762) poem 'Drinking Alone Under the Moon' 月下獨酌, which includes the lines: 'Raising my cup, I invite the bright moon to join me in a drink. Together with my shadow, we become three drinking companions.(舉杯邀明月，對影成三人) The Yixing teapot is also signed Mengchen 孟臣, referring to a famous Yixing potter named Hui Mengchen 惠孟臣. He was from Jingxi and lived approximately from the Tianqi period of the Ming dynasty to the Kangxi period of the Qing dynasty. The small teapots crafted by Mengchen were simple yet ingenious. Mengchen became famous for his skill in making small teapots, which later generations referred to as 'Mengchen pots.' These small teapots are particularly suited for drinking Gongfu tea 功夫茶, making them very popular in the southern regions of China. Compare the teapot and cover with a related Yixing teapot and cover with the signature of Hui Mengcheng, late Qing dynasty, which was sold at Sotheby's New York, 22 June 2021, lot 24. Compare the mother-of-pearl-veneered box and cover with a related mother-of-pearl veneered box and cover, late 18th/early 19th century, which was sold at Bonhams London, 7 June 2021, lot 770 (part lot). For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing