Teapot with a Decoration of Plum Blossom, Ary Jansz. de Milde, c. 1700
The underside of this teapot bears the mark of the pottery of Ary Jansz de Milde, one of the pioneers of red stoneware teapots in Delft. De Milde made his teapots from local clay and turned them on a potter’s wheel. This was different from the method in Yixing, whereby the pots were shaped by hand.