Tea box

The tea pot is complete. It is rectangular with sides or octagonal. Its sides and ends are straight, with slight bulges at the top and base. The top is flat and has a central cylindrical neck, the top of which is flat and free of glaze. The bottom is flat and unglazed. A mold line is visible on the top. The decoration covers the outer sides of the pot, as well as the top. The decoration is plant-like, treated in Imari. The decoration is molded and hand-painted in two-tone blue underglaze, then traced and painted in iron red, with gold highlights, over glaze. The molded decoration gave the pot its shape, with the top and base of the sides bulging. The two main sides are decorated with the same motif, as are the ends and sides; the decoration on the top is similar to that on the ends. The decorations are framed by a horizontal fillet at the top and base, as well as vertical fillets at the corners of the surfaces. The faces feature a contrasting blue background with gold scrolls, a disk and two semi-circles in reserve, each adorned with a flower or half-flower traced and painted red. The tips are adorned with a leafy stem traced in blue and trimmed with several leaves traced and painted in red, some with veins, and with gilding. The sides are adorned with a similar plant motif, but only in red and gold. The top features the same mirrored motif: traced leaves painted in blue, with several traced leaves painted in red, some with veins, and gilding.