This spouted flask is made of the earliest porcelain developed by the alchemist Johann Friedrich Böttger at Meissen. Böttger laboured tirelessly to perfect his recipe for 'white gold' (as porcelain was often referred to at the time), living as a virtual prisoner in the Albrechtsburg castle, closely watched by the agents of his patron, Augustus the Strong, King of Saxony. Eventually, in about 1713, his experiments were successful. The shapes of his early pieces were designed by the court goldsmith, Irminger, or were copied from Asian ceramics, as in this case. This flask, or kendi shape, was originally an Islamic form of water-pouring vessel which later became popular in South-East Asia.