Founded in 1710, Meissen (near Dresden) was the first European factory to produce hard-paste porcelain, in imitation of the Chinese and Japanese ceramics imported by the East India companies. Europeans in the eighteenth century made little distinction between the arts of China, Japan, Korea, and India, often combining elements of each in what later became known as “chinoiseries.” The introduction of chinoiseries at Meissen coincided with the arrival of the painter Johann Gregor Höroldt in 1720. At the request of Meissen's patron, Augustus the Strong, Höroldt imitated the decoration of Japanese porcelain, though in the form of whimsical chinoiseries rather than slavish copies.
As on this teapot, Höroldt portrayed fanciful Chinese figures engaged in daily activities, such as hunting or making tea, within atmospheric landscapes. Framing the scenes are elegant scroll-work cartouches of gilding and iron-red and luster enamels. Exotic flowers copied from Japanese Kakiemon porcelains are scattered over the remaining surface of the teapot. Höroldt’s design sketchbook (the Schulz Codex) was the primary source for Meissen's decorators during the height of chinoiserie at the factory, ca. 1720–40.