By the second half of the 17th century a Japanese potter from the town of Arita, Sakaida Kakiemon, had perfected the technique of producing overglazed enamel decoration on porcelain. This entailed painting onto a glazed surface before returning the piece to the kiln to then be fired again. Many kilns in the town of Arita began to produce wares with this type of decoration, using a palette of cerulean blue, soft-coral red, green and yellow. This was known as the Kakiemon-style. Kakiemon-style export ware was transported to Europe by sea from Imari which was the port nearest to Arita. This globular teapot is decorated with peonies and prunus flowers which were popular decorative motifs in Kakiemon-style designs.
