Large kettle on footring, globular body, S-shaped spout. Low, wide mouthrim, domed lid (not original). Complete with a 19th-century silver mount. Decorated in underglaze blue with a continuous pattern of flower and foliate scrolls. Around the foot a band of lotus-petal shaped panels each with a flower spray. On the lid leaf-shaped panels with a flower spray. Besides being decorative (see cat. 62), a mounting could also conceal damage. In this case, the kettle originally had a high, fixed, overhead porcelain handle that rested on the shoulder. This broke off and a mount serving the same function was attached, and a new, more-or-less matching lid was added. As tea was still quite expensive around 1700 and was only made in small teapots, it is most likely that these large kettles were used for hot water when making tea.