Canister in hard-paste porcelain, of rectangular section, painted in enamels with Chinoiserie, made at the Vezzi porcelain factory, Venice, ca. 1720-27.

Canister in hard-paste porcelain, of rectangular section with a short cylindrical neck, painted in enamels with Chinoiserie, one side with growing tea bushes, two men in the distance picking the leaves, further leaves drying in the foreground, the other side with a tea-drinking scene, a richly-dressed figure stands smoking a pipe by a tripod tea table, another table with a steaming kettle and an attendant nearby, the rims and narrow sides of the canister with red scroll borders.

This early 18th century tea canister shows tea growing, picking and drying in China as imagined by the decorator at the Vezzi porcelain factory in Venice. The scene of tea drinking on the reverse is strongly influenced by contemporary Chinoiserie decoration at the pioneering Meissen factory in Saxony developed by the artist J.G. Höroldt'.

C.30-1932