~ Late 19th Century Chinese Carved Jade Teapot ~

During a recent visit to Shanghai, I visited the YuYuan Gardens with fervor and excitement.   While I expected typical government controlled merchandise available on a mass produced scale, I was gleefully happy to see that some objets du art, were in fact, wonderfully hand made, genuine by strict antiquity standards, and characteristically unique enough to take home – albeit through a more rigorous customs declaration – but low and behold, it sits behind other flow-blue Chinese vases atop a Tibetan cabinet.

On a display pedestal, this solid jade ivory mini tea pot is opaque, lightweight with a topical sheen unlike other similarly shaped objects from this sensitive mineral stone.   Least to say, it was acquired for interior design and decorating purposes.

updated 5jan14