Antique Chinese square blue and white teapot, Mermaid decor, Kangxi, 18th c #1345

Square teapot from around 1700, Kangxi period. Decoration in blue and white  of a mermaid and a fish, a motif inspired by an engraving of Le Clerc for The Metamorphoses of Ovid in Roundels by Isaac de Bensérade (1676).

A very similar teapot is futured in the book "La Porcelaine Des Compagnies Des Indes" which describes the decoration as depicting the tragic adventure of Dercete: the great beauty of this goddess aroused the jealousy of Venus who, in revenge, inspired her with a violent love for a young priest. Dercete, after having a daughter (Semiramis) by him, conceived she was so ashamed of her weakness that she killed her lover, took her child to a desert place, then threw herself into a lake where she was transformed into a fish. We see her here being transformed.

Condition: Checked with UV light. The lid have a hairline to the inside rim. Minor nicks and fritts. The handle of the pot have a firing crack to the base, from the firing crack there is a slight glaze line radiating out but not going through to the other side. Minor nicks and fritting's. Manufacturing flaws. No Restoration! There is a metal filter installed with a nail after the time of manufacturing. We are not 100% sure if the lid is original or not, but it is from the same period, having the same porcelain paste, the same border decoration and fits perfectly. 

Measurements:

Long: 18,5 cm (spout to handle)

High: ca 13 cm

Note: wooden stand is NOT included in this sale.