This tea kettle, with its original burner and stand, is decorated with painted polychrome enamels on a white ground. Painted flowers, including peonies, morning glory, and camellias, decorate the body. This colour palette was especially popular during the reigns of the Yongzheng (1723–35) and Qianlong (1736–95) emperors. These enamelled copper wares were created for the imperial court, and domestic and export markets. The form seems to copy 18th-century English tea services, which were often made of gilded silver.
