The design and shape of this ewer is extremely rare, and only two other wine-pots of this type are known. One is in the National Palace Museum, Taiwan, illustrated in Enamel Ware in the Ming and Ch'ing Dynasties, Taiwan, 1999, pl. 100; and the other was included in the 40th Anniversary Exhibition of the Min Chiu Society, In Pursuit of Antiquity, Hong Kong Museum of Art, 2001, illustrated in the Catalogue, no. 203, and subsequently sold in these Rooms, 27 October 2003, lot 727.

It is highly likely that the present lot takes its inspiration from a Western form. The Yongzheng emperor, following on from his predecessor Kangxi, was open to learning about Western advancements, particularly in the arts and sciences. The present lot is representative of Yongzheng's interest in the West and in the innovations which were brought from the West to China. Not only is the technique of enamelling on metal a relatively novel Western-style medium for use in the arts, but the form that the vessel has taken on is very likely from Europe, where it resembles the pots used to heat up drinking chocolate, a distinctly European beverage.