Silvered Bronze Overhead-Handle Teapot — Plum Blossom Branch Relief With Inlaid Stones, Bird-Head Spout

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A charming Chinese silvered-bronze teapot with an arched overhead handle, modeled after the classical scholar's wine ewer form. The round, … Read more A charming Chinese silvered-bronze teapot with an arched overhead handle, modeled after the classical scholar's wine ewer form. The round, bulbous body rises from a raised circular foot and is decorated in high relief with a gnarled plum blossom branch that winds across the body, its branches casting delicate shadows. Fully opened plum blossoms, tight buds, and textured bark are all cast in detail, while two oval cabochon stones — one deep lapis-blue, one turquoise — are set into the opposite side of the body like gems half-hidden among the flowers.

The arched overhead handle rises in a smooth curve, its ends finished with spiral-scroll terminals. The domed lid is topped with a small, sculpted bird or qilin-style finial, and the short spout emerges as a stylized bird's head, its beak forming the pouring lip — a playful, whimsical detail typical of folk-craft tea wares.

The silvered surface carries a soft, aged patina with warm, golden-bronze tones peeking through at the high points and faint copper-colored spots in the recesses, giving the piece a gently worn, lived-in quality. See less