About the Work

This teapot takes the form of a bundle of bamboo stalks, a motif echoed in the handle, spout, and finial to create a unified, sculptural composition. Alternating floral panels and speckled sections evoke the varied textures of bamboo bark. The vessel is decorated with the translucent enamels characteristic of the famille verte palette—green, yellow, aubergine, and black—the latter obtained by layering a clear glaze over an ink-colored enamel.The Kangxi reign marked a golden age for enamelled porcelain.

At the kilns of Jingdezhen, technical and artistic refinement reached new heights. Potters experimented freely with innovative shapes and color schemes, developing distinctive wares that were both technically sophisticated and visually compelling. The predominance of green enamels in such pieces led the 19th-century French art historian Albert Jacquemart to coin the term famille verte (“green family”).

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