This globular teapot is decorated in the ‘Scarlet Japan’ pattern. The design consists of orange panels with gold diaper motifs alternating with floral decoration on a white ground. The flowers are painted in the Kakiemon style, while the orange panels resemble Imari decoration. It has been suggested that a Chinese adaptation of a Japanese design may have served as the source of inspiration for this pattern. The Scarlet Japan pattern was most often used on tea wares. It was so popular that it was also used to decorate imported pieces of blank Chinese porcelain by independent decorators in London. The Japanese Imari and Kakiemon styles had the greatest impact on European ceramics. Both kinds of porcelain were produced in the area of Arita in present-day Saga prefecture on Kyushu Island. Kakiemon is named after the potter, Sakaida Kakiemon (1596-1666), who was reputed to have pioneered the use of colour enamels on porcelain in Japan.Kakiemon designs show more restraint compared to the typically rich Imari decoraion. Motifs of the Kakiemon style are finely painted in translucent overglaze enamels with large undecorated areas highlighting the distinctive milky-white body.
