Porcelain water sprinkler, painted in Imari style, Jingdezhen, China, 1700-1750. Porcelain painted in underglaze blue, iron-red enamel and gold. Diameter: 9.2 cm, Height: 20.3 cm. Bought in Iran, 11s for the pair. Museum number: 1643-1876 © V&A Images.

Porcelain water sprinkler, one of a pair, with bulbous body and long neck, painted in underglaze blue, iron-red enamel and gold in Imary style with flower branches. 

From about 1680 the kilns of Jingdezhen started producing enamelled wares in imitation of Japanese Imari-style porcelain. These wares were painted in underglaze blue, then further decorated with iron-red enamel and gilding, and sometimes with additional green and black.

Imari-style porcelain was cheaper than the Japanese equivalent, so large quantities were exported from China, immediately affecting the profitable trade between Japan and Europe. Several types were also exported to the Middle East, including water sprinklers, which were used to contain rose-scented water.

This sprinkler was acquired in Iran by Colonel R.J. Murdoch Smith (1835-1900), the Director of the Indo-European Telegraph Department, based in Tehran.