More than just pot!

Teapots are more than just “short and stout”. They are often some of the most expensive things in the world. For a lot of us, there is no real ritual for making tea — simply boil some water, dip the tea bag a couple of times in a mug of hot water, add some sugar or honey and we are done. However, for several tea lovers around the world, brewing of tea isn’t just another chore, it is a ritual that they try serving as luxuriously as possible — often costing them in the thousands or even millions. This doesn’t stop them from going to lengths to attain a unique tea set.

Sterling silver The Chrysanthemum pattern tea set is designed by Tiffany & Co in the 19th century. The set consists of seven pieces — a kettle on a stand with a burner, a coffee pot, a teapot, a chocolate pot, a covered sugar bowl, a waste bowl, a cream jug and a matching Tiffany & Co Chrysanthemum pattern tea tray with two handles. It sold for around Rs 35 lakh in 2013.

From the master of stone During the Bonhams Hong Kong auction held in November 2013, two stoneware teapots made by a Chinese master potter and artisan Gu Jingzhou fetched Rs 8.78 crore each. Gu Jingzhou was native to Yixing and lived between 1915 and 1996. He was named the “Great Master of Teapot Art” and earned the title of “Master of Chinese Industrial Arts”. The two teapots were handcrafted around 70 years ago from zisha clay, which is extracted from the Yixing region in the Jiangsu Province in Central China. Zisha clay enhances the taste of the tea due to its porosity and texture. It provides an overall better taste and aroma as compared to tea prepared in glass, porcelain, or glazed teapots. The two cylindrical stoneware teapots are reddish-brown in colour, and are unglazed.

Silvery goodness Theodore Wende’s Important and Unique Tea Set from 1927 is considered to be his most impressive work. It includes a silver and ivory teapot, a creamer, a sugar bowl and a tray which are all stamped with German hallmarks. It was purchased by an anonymous buyer for Rs 1.2 crore at an auction in 2007.

Floral cutlery The Famille Rose Melon teapots are pumpkin-shaped teapots that are extremely rare and date from the early Qianlong period. They have five lobes each, a handle and spout, are enameled and painted in pink and white plum blossoms. They are marked with the iron-red seal of the Qianlong Dynasty. Sold for approximately Rs 14.5 crores by a Scottish family during the Bonhams auction at Glasgow in May 2011, the tea set, set a new record by fetching more than six times their estimated price and became the most expensive pair of teapots ever sold.

Set in stone The carved ruby dragon tea set is a 16-piece carved ruby matrix tea set, which is decorated with 18K gold vermeil mountings and accents. The tea set fetched $2,19,600 (around Rs 1.46 crore) when it was sold at an auction in March 2014. Auctioneer I.M. Chait described the tea set as “flawless artwork”. Created by artist Luis Alberto Quispe Aparicio, the set includes a covered teapot with a carved dragon inside, four dragon-form teacups, a chocolate or water pot, creamer, four claw-foot shallow dishes, serving accessories and a carved dragon centerpiece. A thick ruby zoisite freeform slab acts as the tray.

Coral Rose This rare pair of Famille Rose Coral-Ground Teapots dates back to the Imperial Qianlong Dynasty period (1736-1795). This tea set has landscapes painted in shades of blue and green by several Qing painters. Their oval body consists of four sides, which bear enameled floral scrolls, a scrolling handle, and a four-side spout. There are only two alike pots like these found in the world. They feature the Imperial Qianlong seal mark under a transparent glaze and are unique art and historical items. They were sold for Rs 8.38 crores to a private collector from Hong Kong.