A Chinese porcelain teapot, enamelled in sepia with the ‘Boy on a Buffalo’ pattern, circa 1750

The teapot with a figure astride a water buffalo holding a stick, following another buffalo which is looking back.

Height 13.5 cm

Condition: Very good, slight nibbles to end of spout, traces of gilding remaining on rim of lid and knop.

£575

See Woolley and Wallis, Asian Art, 20th May 2009, Lot 388 – The Pelham Water Buffalo:   “The water buffalo is the traditional symbol of spring, strength and tranquillity. Its bucolic aspect evokes the simple and true life in the countryside, and as the reputed mount of the philosopher Laozi, the buffalo has strong Daoist connotations. An important animal in all rice cultivation societies, we find buffaloes depicted in art dating back thousands of years. The Chinese practice of lining the shores of lakes and rivers with bronze buffaloes dates from the Tang dynasty. It is based on the belief that Da Yu, the legendary emperor who is credited with founding the Xia dynasty (circa 2100 – 1600 BC) and controlled China’s floodwaters, used to place iron buffaloes beside each of his projects. The most famous is the bronze example overlooking Lake Kunming in Beijing’s Summer Palace, which was cast and then personally dedicated by The Emperor Qianlong in 1755.”