Teapot on footring, wide mouthrim. Straight spout, C-shaped handle. Domed lid with flat, protruding rim and pointed knob. Famille rose, decorated in green, black, yellow, white and pink with a large peony on either side surrounded by chrysanthemums and other small flowers on a ground of green scrolls reserved in black enamel. The same decoration on the lid. Around the foot a band with lotus motifs, on the shoulder and around the cover-ring a band with striped triangles and medallions with a half-peony. On the spout and ear flower sprays. The use of black enamel is interesting, being relatively rare. It is achieved by painting transparent green enamel over a purple-brown ground of iron oxide and manganese. The patterns that are reserved then appear in green, like the scrolls on this teapot. Painting the peonies an exuberant pink makes them the undisputed centre of attention in this heavily painted but colourful decoration. Porcelain with a black ground is traditionally called famille noire. It is quite rare and occurs mostly on Kangxi porcelain and less often on later 18th-century porcelain, as here. The better known large vases and jars are mostly late 19th-century imitations.