The teapot is decorated in famille rose enamels, with a grisaille pattern imitating vertical fluting. The design is enhanced with finely painted peony branches. The shoulder bears an openwork-style frieze, painted to imitate an iron-red trellis and punctuated by circular reserves containing half chrysanthemum flowers in overglaze blue enamels. The domed cover repeats the same floral decoration.
The peony, greatly admired since the Tang dynasty (618-907), is one of the most emblematic floral motifs in Chinese art. Often described as the “queen of flowers,” it embodies wealth, prosperity, and refined beauty. Frequently found on porcelains produced for both the domestic and export markets, it conveys wishes of good fortune and elegance, making this motif a particularly prized symbol of auspiciousness.
