This teapot is decorated with both blue underglaze and overglaze enamels with a green spout and handle. A green enamelled lion perches on top of the lid, with sprigs of flowers and foliage set within small and large raised cartouches. Because of the various hues of green used to decorate this teapot, this style is known as famille verte, a term introduced by the French art historian, Albert Jacquemart (1808-1875) in his seminal book ‘L’Histoire de la Céramique’ (1873). Famille verte porcelain was made in vast quantities for export to the West where it was extremely sought after. Mounts, such as those applied to this teapot, transformed high quality porcelain pieces into luxurious and decorative objects that appealed to Western taste. During the late 17th and early 18th centuries they were commonly added to porcelain objects upon their arrival in Europe to emphasise their rarity and value. The mounts on this teapot were made and added in the Netherlands in around 1720.
