Chinese Pewter Tea Wares

(/rh v~ ~[< . ~l.()hj!t, "'~ BENNET BRONSON and HO CHUIMEI V:;1 I ~ ;J'J b I ~e> ...../ J)t C 0& FJ

-f A shorter version of this article appeared in the Bulletin of the Field Museum of Natural History (March, 1988). All photographs are by the museum's chief photographer, Ran Testa

. 0 rEA WARES have been dIscussed among either collected by Laufer himself in Sian, that pewter containers were already widely erious tea drinkers since the middle of the Ch'eng-tu and Shanghai in 1908-19lO and used for storing dry tea leaves during the :ighth century A.D., when Lu Yu wrote his 1921-1922 or donated by other individuals. late Sung (960-1276) period. :lassic Canon 0] Tea. In Lu's time there was Together they form a solid representation of By the middle Ming (1368-1644) period, \ ,lready dispute about the best material and seventeenth to nineteenth century Chinese pewter was used for teapots as well. It was arm for tea utensils, and these topics have pewter wares. preferred to ceramics in that role by a :ontinued to attract controversy down to The article will not, incidentally, be too number of important tea authorities: by he present day. Orthodox opinion currently strict about the definition of pewter. Only Ch'ien Ch'un-nien in the 1540s, and by Hsu lolds that the earthenware ofI-hsing is ideal three pieces in the Field Museum Collection Tz'u-yu, in his often-quoted Memorial on or many sorts of tea wares, especially tea­ have been chemically tested. One, a Han Tea, in 1597. However, the metal was not lotS. But this was not always so. Irifluential (206 B.C.-A.D. 220) burial deed with an in­ accepted without challenge. Other author­ ea ' specialists of the past often preferred scriptiondated to A.D. 85, proved to con­ ities had a definite dislike of pewter pots. uch materials as porcelain, precious metals, tain eighty per cent lead and twenty per For instance, T'u Lung in 1590 wrote that Ir even pewter. , cent tin. The other two pieces, both of nine­ metal teapots, including bronze, iron, lead This article focuses on the last and per­ teenth century date, consisted mainly of tin and pewter, added a bitter, fishy smell to laps most surprising of these materi~ls . Pew­ with only a trace of lead. Judging from the tea. Interestingly, Hsu Tz'u-yu preferred his er is an alloy of tin and lead. It is therefore variety of patina colours on pieces that were tea kettles and pots to be made of pewter, loisonous. Yet it was extensively used over a not tested, the remainder of the collection precisely because, unlike earthenware, these '~~: ., ather long period for making not only tea will turn out to be quite variable in composi­ did not add an objectionable smell. torage containers-a role in which its toxic tion. Yet they are silver-grey in tone (and In spite of dissenting opinions, the late lualities might be unimportant-but also thus contain little or no copper), quite soft sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries eapots and kettles, where heat and tannic (and so not nickel or zinc alloys), non­ seem to have been a time of general popu- ',' ,cid would be bound to extract significant magnetic (and so not iron) and neither very larity for pewter in connection with tea. The mounts of lead into the prepared tea. The white when clean nor dark grey-black when kinds of pewter utensils recommended sepa- g~ ;sue of lead toxicity will 'not be discussed corroded (and so not silver) . Moreover, few rately by tea writers of this period would lrther here except to say that it rarely if if any are soft enough to be composed oflead have made up a fairly complete set of con- ' ver entered into debates about the merits alone. This leaves either pure tin or an alloy temporary tea wares: large storage caddies f various tea ware materials. Few connois­ of tin with lead. It seems best to follow tradi­ (kuan and t'an ), dippers (p'iao) for drawing ~urs of tea seem to have been aware that tional Chinese usage in employing the same water from jars, kettles (t'iao) for boiling ." he presence of lead posed potential health term for both. "Pewter" as used here should water, small serving caddies (he) for mod- :," lroblems. Lest it be concluded that those therefore be understood as a translation of erate amounts of tea leaves, water pots onnoisseurs were strangely ignorant, we the Chinese hsi or hsi-ch'i, a metal that may (t'ang-p'ing) for holding boiling water and, hould recall that wine fanciers in Western be mostly tin but that in general contains a teapots (hu) for actually brewing the tea. We ountries still make extensive use of high­ substantial admixture of lead, which in know the names of three pewter artists of " ~ad "crystal" glassware. Connoisseurship China as elsewhere has always been a much about that time who were renowned for , ' ,.~, nd technological knowledge do not go less costly metal. their teapots: Chao Liang-p'i, Huang Yuan~ ', ( and in hand, either in China or the West. Pewter first appears in connection with chi and Kui Mao-te, all natives of Kiangsu:::, :' The pieces to be described here come from tea in the middle of the thirteenth century, province. Unfortunately, none of their work>;: he collection of the Field Museum of Nat­ when Chao Hsi-ku, a member of the Im­ appears to have survived. " ,; :" ral History in Chicago, which-with about perial family who was also a noted expert on Not many other Ming tea wares in pewter "-: ;' wo hundred items- probably has more antiques, commented: have survived either. The world's museums :" ­ ;hinese pewter than any other museum contain ~ery few examples that can be::,,',' : "The nature of tea leaves is not in har­ 1 North America. About three-quarters firmly dated to that period. One or two cad ~ " " : mony with that of ceramic or bronze f these were donated by E.E. Aye!', who dies in the Field Museum Collection could '," jars. They only go well with pewter. cquired them during the 1920s, with the possibly be attributed to the seventeenth :,,;~ But be careful not to use jars with holes dvice of the great si nolo gist Berthold Lau­ century on a stylistic basis (Figure 1) , and ::;... , that can leak air. The containers should !r, from S.H. Mori, a Chicago-based affil­ various Japanese and Western enthusiasts- ~ , be repeatedly tested before use." lte of the Yamanaka Company, one of the have believed strongly in a Ming dating for '.J, !ading Oriental art dealers of the day. The All of Chao's contemporaries might not individual pieces in their collections. How- :: , ~st of the pewter pieces in the museum were have agreed; but his comment does show ever, convincing identifications will have to,:,': " ."\ .

16 s

Figure 1 Tea caddy with octagonal body . Pewter and applied brass. The lid is single­ walled. The characters on the neck form a proverb: "The family that accumulates virtue will have ample fortune". The panels on the upper body depict amusements· of the literati. Those near the base depict foreigners- Central Asians, one . possible European- in comic poses. Two incised characters on the bottom read" Liang Chi", probably the name of a shop. Querall height 45 ems. Chinese, perhaps 17th- 18th century

Figure 2 Hybrid teapot with overhead handle Pewter exterior, earthenware lining and jade fittings. Engraved with orchid leaves on one side and on the other a poem in praise of tea signed by the calligrapher, Po-ya [chu J. The lining has the seal of Shih-mei. Body diameter 11.5 ems. Made at I-hsing, circa 1820-1830

Figure 1

Seal of Figure 2

Figure 2 Figure 3 Hybrid teapot in lute form Pewter exterior, earthenware lining and jade fittings . The lining bears the seal of Fan Shu-tseng. One side is engraved with a man in scholar's robes playing a lute under a banana tree. The other side bears a carved inscription copying a Chin bronze with a cyclical date corresponding to A.D. 282; the signature of the calligrapher, Fu-sheng, also has a cyclical date, equivalent to A .D. 1835. Body height 12 ems. Made at I-hsing, A.D. 1835

Figure 4 Hybrid teapot in pumpkin form Pewter exterior, earthenware lining and jade fittings . The seal of the potter, Yang P'eng-nien, is on the lining. One side is engraved with a }lowering plum branch and the other with an inscription on the virtues of tea signed by Chu Yin, whose signature also appears on the jade handle. Diameter 10 ems. Made at I-hsing, 1820s

Figure 5 Hybrid teapot in bamboo form Pewter exterior, earthenware lining and jade fittings. Engraved with plum blossoms on one side and an inscription about tea drinking on the other, with the signature of Shih-mei. A clay seal on the lining reads "Made by Yang P'eng-nien" . The calligrapher and the potter are both well known figures in the history of I-hsing ware. Body height 6 ems. Made at I-hsing, 1820s

Seal of Figure 5

Figure 5

J08 rait until the contents of the many recent Their shapes are attractive, simple and quite artists like Yang P'eng-nien and Shih-mei". xcavations of Ming tombs become avail­ close to those of all-earthenware I-hsing Whether Shih-mei and his fellow pot­ ble for study. types, especially those assigned by T .T. ters did the pewter work themselves is It was in the late sixteenth century that Bartholomew to the th~rd, or nineteenth unclear-after all, handling the two mate­ he red earthenware teapots of I-hsing century phase, of stylistic development at rials required very different skills. Their legan to be mentioned in conjunction with I-hsing. The majority have knobs, side motives for doing so are also unclear. The eapots of pewter. Hsu Tz'u-yu, mentioned handles and spouts made of jade. Unlike charm of pewter was evidently still in de­ fl the preceding section, definitely preferred teapots made entirely 'of I-hsing ware, the mand among their clients. But why was it he latter to the former. He complained that hybrid kind rarely have overhead (t'i-liang ) necessary for highly successful potters to ;ood I-hsing pots, sometimes arbitrarily handles; the Field Museum has only one learn to design with pewter in order to meet narked as the work ofShih Ta-pin, then the such piece (Figure 2) . The surfaces of all that demand? And conversely, why did ecognised master among I-hsing potters, carry inscriptions and pictorial engravings, those clients want to have their pewter lined vere expensive, 'hard to get and easily bro­ as do the surfaces of many conventional with earthenware? Is it possible that tea :en. Yet inferior I-hsing pots, he claimed, I-hsing vessels. The inscriptions, always on drinkers of the period were concerned about lad an unpleasant clayey smell that made the left side of a pot held in pouring position, the poisonous effect of lead? Or did they hem worthless for brewing or serving tea. are usually on the subject of tea. Most are simply prefer the effect of pottery to pewter le concluded that pewter had none of these signed withth!; calligrapher's name. on the fragrance and taste of tea? lis agreeable traits. A number of the hybrid teapots in the Readers familiar with conventional 1- The debate over the relative merits of Field Museum bear seals of well known hsing teapots may be interested to know that lewter and I-hsing tea wares continued for I-hsing potters of the nineteenth century: the hybrid teapots do not conform to the he next hundred years. As far as brewing Hu-ch'ih, Shih-mei, and Yang P'eng-nien. widely accepted rule that all I-hsing pots ea went, the issue was eventually settled in These seals stand in relief on the interior made before the late nineteenth century avour of the latter. A glance through the base, directly beneath the lid opening. A have spouts connected to the body by single :ontents of a modern tea shop will show that, number of others carry signatures of cal­ holes. None of the hybrid examples in the vhile connoisseurs still often prefer pewter ligraphers who also are known to scholars Field Museum Colllection is later than :ontainers as tea caddies, they acknowledge and collectors of conventional I-hsing wares: about 1850. Yet all except two have "late" :-hsing ware as the queen of teapots. Shih-mei, Po-ya [chu], Ehr-ch'uan, Pu­ strainer-like spout connections with multiple At one point, however, a compromise was lang, and Fu-sheng (Figure 3). holes. lttempted. In the early. nineteenth century, Yang P'eng-nien, who is celebrated for his There are a number of kinds of Chinese eapots began to be made with pewter exte­ association with the great scholar-official pewter teapots that do not have earth­ 'iors and . linings of I-hsing earthenware. Ch'en Man-sheng in the creation of the fa­ enware linings. These are usually larger in rhe Field Museum has thirty-six of these mous Man-sheng style in I-hsing wares dur­ capacity than the hybrid teapots and do not iybrid pots, two bearing 'reign marks of Em­ ing the 1820s, sealed his hybrid teapots with have jade parts. The examples in the Field Jeror Tao Kuang (1821-1850) and several his full name rather than with "P'eng-nien", Museum that have known provenances lthers with cyclical dates of the same period. as was uS\lal on his earthenware pieces. His come from Hunan, Szechwan, Kwangtung rhe rest cannot be a great deal later than seals, moreover, are oriented to face the and Shanghai. One large type of unknown 1850, for pewter seems to have gone out of handle. Most other hybrid pot makers at 1- provenance has a bucket shape, a small ashion among serious tea fanciers at about ' hsing oriented their seals to be read from the spout and lid, and a removable pewter tea :hat time. Writing in 1875, Oku Genpo, a spout end. There are six ofYang's teapots in basket inside the mouth to facilitate the ex­ rapanese tea master and collector of I-hsing . the Field Museum. The one shown in Figure traction of used tea leaves (Figure 7). Such Nares, makes this clear: 4 illustrates his ability to translate ceramic designs are not uncommon among teapots forms into metal. meant for serving tea 'commercially or to a "Teapots may be made of more than Shih-mei, a Chekiang native also known as large group of drinkers. Ceramic pots of the just earthenware. In the old days, gold, Chu Chien, is a figure of almost equal same form are often seen in collections of silver, pewter and porcelain were also stature with Yang P'eng-nien in the history nineteenth century utilitarian wares.' used. Of late, people have used jade as ofI-hsing. He is reputed to have been the in­ Plain pewter teapots of a size suitable for well. But none of these can be as good ventor of the pewter~encased earthenware domestic use seem to have been fairly com­ as earthenware, because jade, gold .and compromise, perhaps in about 1810, and mon in China down through the begin­ silver, while valuable, are not in good was a talented calligrapher as well as a mas­ ning of the present century. Three recent taste. As for pewter, although it is not ter potter. The Field Museum possesses two examples are illustrated here: two from showy and although people in the past hybrid pots with his seal (Figure 2) and one Szechwan province, acquired by Be'rthold loved it, modern people do not like it. Is with an inscription signed by him (Figure Laufer in 1910 from a household goods store it because the standards of the present" 5); the earthenware portion of this partic­ in Ch'eng-tu (Figures 8, 9), and one from day have exceeded those of the past?" ular piece was sealed by Yang P'eng-nien. Ch'ao-chou in eastern Kwangtung province As will presently be seen, ordinary pewter Not all hybrid teapots were designed by (Figure 10), probably also made after 1900. teapots were made at a number of places individuals who also had reputations as pot­ One of the Szechwan pieces (Figure 9) is in :lown through the beginning of this century. ters. A number of Field Museum pieces bear Tibetan style and may have been intended But the kinds of pewter teapots likely to be the seals of artists and workshops that do for sale to Tibetans or members of other' of interest to Oku Genpo were hybrids with . not appear in published lists of I-hsing pot­ ethnic groups in that area, The other two I-hsing ware linings and made chiefly at ters: Fan Shu-tseng and Ch'iao-jen, as well pieces, however, are.. Chinese in style and I-hsing itself. Oku may have had one such as Shan-te T'ang and Hua-yuan Shu-wu. meant for Chinese use. Few of these users are teapot in his own' collection: although he Some may indeed have been specialists in likely to have been members of the 1iterati ,aid nothing about an earthenware lining, working with earthenware-lined pewter. class. Yet the teapots themselves have sub­ he included a pewter teapot in a published' This seems quite likely in the case of Fan stantial aesthetic merit, list of pieces that were mainly from I-hsing. Shu-tseng, eight of whose hybrid teapots Materials such as basketry, coconut shell He seems to have been fond of this partic­ appear in the Field Museum Collection, but and porcelain are used in combination with ular pot. He noted that it was "attractively who seems to have produced little if any pewter in certain teapots, Many of these are archaic in appearance, simple in shape, not work in earthenware. Figures 3 and 6 illus­ late, probably dating to the late nineteenth showy but tastefully plain." . trate two of his pieces, most of which are and early twentieth centuries, Other teapots The hybrid pewter teapots in the Field quite far from what Bernard Leach would are made of red or black clay but partly 'PtK~ ... "" n"""'" r-t ...... llo ...... ~ ...... , ,f; +- r-\l.· .• ' .. rlO .. ,...... ;T'"!.f-;,...... r ~ 11 thp "nnttprh," rlpC;:l

Figure 9 Teapot in Tibetan style Pewter with cane-wrapped handle and a blue glass lid knob. The form imitates that of a Tibetan milk pot. An impressed seal on the inside reads "Hsing-ja Hao", a shop name. Acquired and made in Ch'eng-tu. Body heitht 12.5 cms. Circa 1910

Figure 10 Teapot with bucket handles and removable tea basket inside mouth Pewter. Decorated with engraved floral motifs on a ground ofpunched circles. An impressed seal on the base reads" Shan-t'ou [Swatow J Branch, Lung-chi, Yen-i-he Workshop, Ch'ao-yang [Ch'ao-chou r. Body height 10.5 cms. Early 20th century

Figure 11 Teapot with fitted detachable heater Pewter with bronze handles. The heater, in the lower part of the vessel, has coin-shaped openings at the sides and a removable container for the fuel and wick. A slanting internal chimney allows smoke and heat to escape from a hole in the top. An impressed seal on the base reads "Heng T'ai Pewter Shop, guaranteed". Overall height 25.5 cms. Made in Ch'eng-tu, Szechwan province, late 19th century

Figure 11 Figure 6 Hybrid teapot in ju-i sceptre form Pewter exterior, earthenware lining and jade fittings. Lining sealed by the potter, Fan Shu­ tseng. Engraved on one side with a pine tree and on the other with two lines ofpoetry praising rural scenery, signed with the calligrapher's studio name, Yu-mei Chu. Body height 8 cms. Made at I-hsing, probably 1830s

Figure 7 Teapot in wooden bucket form Pewter with applied brass and bronze. The depressed panels bear auspicious motifs in applique. The top is integral with the body; a small sliding lid allows the pot to be filled and gives access to a removable tea basket. No sea l or signature. Overall height 21 cms. Chinese, 19th century

Figure 8 Tall hexagonal teapot J>,ewter with cane-wrapped handle. The large S-curved spout and the insulating handle suggest that it is a container for tea rather than wine. This function is confirmed by information recorded at the time ofpurchase. An impressed seal on the inside reads " Made by Yu [or Chuan] Ch'eng-heng" Figure 6 Acquired by B. Laufer in Ch'eng-tu. Body height 13.5 cms. Made in or near Ch'eng-tu, circa 1910

Figure 8

Figure 7

10 Arts of Asio >UJUCllug sueet mnal, rnelr Japanese coun­ '" sent the work of Sha~ghai or Shant'ung Airtight pewter containers small enough terparts either made an initial casting which pewterers, using I-hsing pots as a base. The to serve as caddies in the home range in size was then finished on a lathe or formed their workmanship involved cannot be compared from those holding only a few ounces to caddies by metal-spinning-forcing a pew­ with that of the fine clay-lined pewter tea­ 'those that might contain one or two catties ter plate against a form while turning both pots actually made at I-hsing. of tea. Figure 13 shows an example of the at high speeds on a lathe-like apparatus. An interesting group of pewter teapots latter kind. Whereas many pewter caddies ' The interiors of Japanese caddies . show have heaters built into their bases; the idea are either plain and utilitarian or decorated many concentric ridges and grooves; the in­ is like that of an electric kettle except that in a somewhat gaudy style, this piece is ex­ teriors of Chinese caddies tend to be quite here the same device is used for warming 'ceptional for its grace and subtlety. Certain smooth. In terms of precision of workman­ the water and brewing the tea. The Field caddies made of pewter were evidently ship, the best Japanese examples seem to Museum possesses several examples. All worthy of use with the finest porcelain cups equal or exceed any caddies m ade in China. were heated with alcohol, kerosene or vege­ and I-hsing teapots. The Chinese also once used pewter tea table oil and have concealed chimneys as Large pewter containers were also used kettles. In 1597, Hsu Tz'u-yu states that well as openings for the draught (Figure 11) . for storing tea in bulk. Shen Ch'ang-ch'ing, pewter is best for making kettles because The fact that two of these have fitted tea writing in 1632, suggests that new tea should water boiled in it does not become salty or baskets shows that they are indeed teapots be kept in jars made from fine virgin pewter, bitter. In 1632, Shen Ch'ang-ch'ing grants rather than kettles or wine warmers. Such large enough to hold tel} catties. The mouths that silver is at least as good for kettles but pots might be unacceptably risky in the eyes of these jars should be filled with a layer of recommends pewter for use by tea lovers of a connoisseur: they would have to be dry grass and several layers of paper before of modest means and for the more wealthy watched closely lest the tea be boiled and the pewter lid is presse~ on. A hundred and while sojourning "in straw huts in the thus ruined. If properly managed, on the fifty-five years later, however, the poet and mountains", He says that ceramic kettles are other hand, they would have been a definite painter Wu Ch'ien was expressing a clear too easily broken. He also is emphatically convenience for picnicking as compared preference for porcelain tea storage jars. He opposed to bronze and- interes tingly­ with the padded teapot basket and the states that pewter jars should not be used to iron, which Japanese tea lovers have long messy, heavy charcoal stove. hold more than a few days' supply. Whether regarded as an ideal kettle material. Shen's this opinion was generally shared among opposition to iron kettles is shared by many serious tea fanciers is uncertain, but it seems other historical Chinese authorities, who that large caddy-like storage containers often comment on the bad taste that iron made of pewter continued to be used in " imparts to water. some regions down through the mid nine­ Quite apart from their potential toxicity, teenth century. In 1833, Sun T'ung-yuan pewter kettles would seem to have another" had a distressing encounter"with such jars grave disadvantage. Pewter melts at a tem­ while travelling in Szechwan: perature of only several hundred degrees centigrade. This means that a kettle made "The people at Yung-chia prefer year­ out of pewter would probably be ruined if old tea, thinking that new tea has too allowed to boil dry over a moderately hot much 'fire'. They re-roast "the newly stove. Yet pewter teapots did exist and were bought tea and then store it in pewter indeed used. The Field Museum possesses jars, tightly sealed but without adding several examples. One of these has "an in­ lime cubes [as a desiccant] at the bot~ "ternal chimney of copper and "a miniature tom. Thus the tea readily becomes damp fire-box in which charcoal was burned; this Figure 12 Line drawing of tea caddy and when brewed has a burned smell particular piece is too small to have held that irritates the nose. The colour is From Cheltg Fu-kuang, Fei-yin Yu-chih-lu water for more than one small pot full of tea almost red and it has no taste. To force (Collection of Explanations for (Figure 15). Another, an especially hand­ Learners), 1842 myself to pretend to appreciate it was some piece, would have been heated in a really as difficult as taking medicine." conventional fashion on top of a separate Many of the pewter tea jars one sees ih stove. That this is indeed a kettle is virtually Pewter tea caddies, already mentioned by collections seem too large to be used during proved by its shape and size (Figure 16); one Chao Hsi-ku during the thirteenth century in the actual making and serving of tea. The finds it hard to imagine any other function. the passage quoted above, were in common piece shown in Figure I is an example. Such How old it is and where it was made is cur­ use by the mid seventeenth century. Writing jars may have served as bulk storage con­ rently unclear. Its pumpkin-shaped body in 1642, the official and well known tea tainers, perhaps for the shelves of tea shops. suggests a connection with the I-hsing tradi­ specialist Feng K'e-pin notes that ceramic Most (although not the piece illustrated tion of tea ware design, and its dark, eroded caddies could not be as airtight as pewter here) have lids with double walls of the kind surface suggests considerable age. caddies with double"walled lids. Cheng that Feng K'e-pin and Cheng Fu-kuang rec­ " Most collections of Chinese pewter in­ Fu-kuang (1842), an amateur scientist of the ommended. clude a number of tall, long-spouted ewers early nineteenth century, left a drawing and It is worth noting that few nineteenth like the one in Figure 19. These resemble description of pewter caddy making that century Japanese pewter caddies have surviving illustrations of the water pots that confirms the commonness of this design double-walled lids. Instead, there are usu­ were used in the T'ang (618-:906) through (Figure 12). To be sure the caddies are air ally two lids: the inner one set rather tightly Ming periods as intermediate containers for and waterproof, Cheng suggests that the lid inside the mouth, and the (single-walled) hot water: boiling water was poured into be double-walled, the soldered joints care­ outer one fitted over and around the neck. them from the kettle and then poured from fully tested and the interior lined with Some of these caddies are splendidly deco­ them into teacups or teapots. Several Ming paper. He also describes a "base tray" filled rated, with lacquered portions in takamaki-e sources recommend the use of pewter vessels with' incense ash and paper onto which an technique (see Figure 14) that contrast in this role, which makes it tempting to iden­ inverted caddy can be placed to ensure that effectively with the handsomely spotted tify some of the surviving pewter ewers as th~ interior stays completely dry. Indeed, greyish surface of the plain pewter. They water pots. Perhaps it is more prudent to putting a layer of ash or lime on the bottom also differ from Chinese caddies in the way resist this temptation, however. Water pots of a filled pewter caddy and a layer of dry they were made. Whereas Chinese pewterers ceased to be used in Chinese tea making by straw on top seems to have been a standard preferred to form caddies by shaping and the seventeenth century, and few if any pew-

112 Arts of Asia Figure 13 Figure 14

Figure 13 Tea caddy with sixteen sides Pewter edged with brass strips. The base bears a seal, "Yen-she Yu Ch'ang-tiao". Overall height 22 ems. Chinese, perhaps 18th century

Figure 14 Japanese tea caddy Pewter with raised red and gold lacquer. The decoration of the lid and shoulder imitates a wrapping ofgold brocade tied with a red cord. The body bears the two Imperial crests: the sixteen-petalled chrysanthemum and the kiri, or paulownia .flower. An impressed s~al on the bottom reads "Imperial Pewter House,first quality, made by Izumo". Overall height 26.5 ems. 19th century

Figure 15 Small kettle with built-in fire-box Pewter with brass strip binding at edges and red cane-wrapped handle. The fire-box connects with the front top opening by a copper chimney; the water tank is filled through the rear top opening. A seal on the rear lid bears a shop name, Kuan-shun. Diameter 8.5 ems. Chinese, 19th century

Figure 15 Figure 16 Kettle in pumpkin form Age-darkened pewter. The overhead handle has tiger-like animals in relief and dragons' heads at either end. Two other pairs of dragons, also in relief, have been applied to the upper body. The twelve segments of the lower body bear shou (long life) characters. The impressed seal on the bottom is now illegible. Body diameter 24 cms. Chinese, 18th-19th century

Figure 17 Teapot with four-lobed body and overhead handle Pewter and brass applique, with glass lid knob and cane wrapping on the handle. The incised and applied decorations represent a bird on a flower­ ing branch . No seal or signature. Diameter ' 8.5 cms. Chinese, 19th century

Figure 18 Teapot with overhead handle The pewter body is covered with fine, tight- fitting basketry and rests on four small feet; the lid has an ivory knob. This is one of the few pieces in the collection that has been previously published, once as a wine pot instead of a teapot. Impressed seal: "Workshop of Chang Li-hui". Body height 10 cms. Purchased in Anhwei Figure 16 province and probably made there, 19th century

Figure 18 Figure 17

114 Arts of Asia ...... ------

ter examples have survived. 1t seems safest to conclude that most or all of the ewers one sees are wine pots, used for serving liquor in homes and restaurants. Plain pewter itself has an attractive sil­ very appearance when new and a unique, softly mottled gun-metal colour after long use. Many pewter caddies and certain other tea wares have unmodified surfaces, depend­ ing solely on the play of light over curves and sharp edges for decorative effect. High­ tin pewter can be buffed to a hard shine but Chinese pewterers seem to have preferred a moderately glossy, light-diffusing surface. The only example of a mirror-like finish seen by the present writer is on an I-hsing pewter teapot acquired in Japan; in this instance the shine seems to be due to a thin coat of lacquer. The alloy readily lends itself to surface decoration. It is soft, easily worked and readi­ ly 'bonded to a variety of other materials through applying moderate heat-after all, pewter is quite similar in composition to sol­ der. Chinese pewter altar pieces and house­ hold items were sometimes decorated with coloured lacq uer and inset enamel and por­ celain. Pewter tea wares, however, show a more restricted range of decorative tech­ niques. The most important are engraving and soldered applique. . Engraving was the main technique used on clay-lined I-hsing pewter teapots. These invariably have floral motifs, rendered in a simple calligraphic style on one side, and in­ scriptions in cursive or official script on the other. Much of this writing represents ca lli ~ graphy of a high order, seemingly as fluid as actual brushwork: the softness and lack of grain of the pewter surface made it an al­ most ideal medium for the graving tool. This no .doubt helps to explain the willingness of well known calligraphers to engage in such work, not to mention the appeal of the tea­ pots themselves to ·those who were at once lovers of tea and the scholarly arts. Pewter tea vessels o(other kinds were also often engraved, but generally in a less ele­ gant fashion. Motifs included simple floral designs and figures of religious or legendary origin. Often the engraved designs were supplemented by applying paper-th~n sheets of brass or copper, cut in more or less the same shape as a figure outlined by engraving Figure 19 and then soldered onto the pewter surface within the outlined area. The effect can be highly decorative, offering an attractive contrast between the red or yellow metal Figure 19 Wine pot in ewer form designs and the grey metal background Pewter with gold-painted details. The resemblance (Figure 17). However, the effect tends to be to tea-making water pots of earlier periods may marred by a poor fit between the applique not be entirely coincidental, but this piece was and the engraved outlines. One is often re­ intended for serving wine. Decorated with a lion minded ofa badly registered colour print. finial and engraved dragons, phoenixes, bats and flowers on a punch-marked ground. An impressed seal It might be noted that this sheet-applique on the base bears a shop name, Chen-mou, located method is sometimes referred to in the litera­ in Sheng-ch'eng ["Capital"}. Overall height 36 ems. ture as "inlaying". In most cases the term Made in Kwangchow, late 19th- early 20th century is incorrect, although true inlay is known on Chinese pewter. The Field Museum Col­ lection includes several trays with inlaid brass or copper designs (Figure 20), and The British Museum possesses an extra- ordinary pewter teapot covered with deli­ eighteenth century records direct us to the chou work (Figure 10) tend also to be iden­ cate mother-of-pearl inlay. craftsmen of Mu-tu in the suburbs of tifiable through their very shiny surfaces We have already seen that jade (usually if Soochow city, Kiangsu province, just across and the frequent use of punches rather'than not always 'nephrite rather than jadeite), cut the lake from I-hsing. Mu-tu was also re­ graving tools to produce surface designs. A into the shape of knobs, handles and spouts, nowned for its artistry in silver, bronze and fondness for "pearl" grounds made with was generally mounted on the hybrid clay­ wood. No doubt there would have been hollow punches is characteristic. The rather pewter teapots ofI-hsing. The pale green or many exchanges of decorative ideas and casual workmanship involved seems much white stone not only formed a pretty con­ techniques. The pewter-working methods inferior to that of older pieces made in other trast with the silvery-grey body, but had a used at I-hsing may well have come from centres. The pewter objects made in or near practical function as well. Jade is an excel­ Mu-tu; and the I-hsing potters may some­ Kwangchow (Figure 19) are somewhat sim­ lent insulator and thus kept one's fingers times have sent clay vessels over to Mu-tu ilar to those of Ch'ao-chbu but tend to cool even when the body of the teapot was to be cased in pewter, bringing them back be decorated in a more three-dimensional very hot. The carefully drilled and sharply cut afterwards to I-hsing for engraving. fashion. They often bear the names either oj jade spout must also have made it easier to The only other Chinese pewter objects in manufacturers or shops, most of them clus­ pour without dripping and may-although the Field Museum that have an identifi­ tered along Teng-lung Street. in C"anton no direct evidence on the matter exists­ able place of origin come from Shanghai, city. have reassured tea drinkers worried about from Anhwei, Hunan and Szechwan pro­ The rest of the pewter in the Field the toxic effects of contact between the hot vinces, and from Ch'ao-chou and Kwang­ Museum is still linprovenanced. Historical tea and lead. chow (Canton) in Kwangtung province. records indicate that the alloy was worked A variety of other materials were some­ Although little is known about pewter at a number of other centres within China: times ·used in conjunction with pewter in makers in Shanghai and the first three prov­ .at Ning~po and Shao-hsing in Chekiang tea wares. Mention has already been made inces, those of Kwangtung are less obscure. province; at Hsia-men (Amoy) in Fukien of teapots with coconut shell and porcelain First mentioned in records of the eighteenth province; at Chia-chou in Shantung prov­ bodies. Other teapots have lid knobs made century, they remained leading producers ince; and in the city of Shanghai. Craftsmen of glass, wood or cornelian. One exceptional down through World War Two, presumably of Chinese origin also made pewter wares in overhead-handled teapot-6r perhaps wine because of their access to export markets and Southeast Asia, especially in Malaysia and pot- in the Field Museum Collection is ' to the tin mined in Yunnan and Southeast Singapore. As Strachan has suggested in a beautifully wrapped in finely woven bas­ Asia. They manufactured a wide range of previous ARTS OF ASIA article on pewter ketry, shrink-fitted over the pewter body objects, including food warmers, tea cad­ ("Pewter" by Diane S. Strachan, ARTS OF (Figure 18). While the insulating qualities of dies, wine ewers, tiered boxes, altar sets, and AsiA May- June 1975, pages 42-46), these the pot may have been improved by this Taoist and Buddhist figures. ·. craftsmen are likely to have been of southern basketry, one cannot help worrying that re­ Pewterers in Ch'ao-chou, some of whom Chinese origin. The pots they made closely peated wetting with hot water or tea would had branch workshops in Shan-t'ou resemble those of Kwangtung, except that soon have ruined it. (Swatow), often placed their studio marks the impressed trade marks on their bottoms Many references to pewter III pre- on their products; recent examples ofCh'ao- reveal their nanyang provenance.

Figure 20 Tray Pewter with brass inlay depicting bamboo and plum blossoms. True inlay, with designs in a contrasting material set into the surface, is rare on Chinese pewter. An impressed seal on the base reads "Made by Liu Hung-ta". Length 34 cms. Chinese, 19th century

Figure 20

116 Arts of Asia