Enamelled wares embellished with gilt to resemble the appearance of rich brocade are known by the Japanese term, kinrande. Their combination of brilliant colours was derived from a highly attuned visual enjoyment of painting, lacquer and silk. In the 16th century, items of this type were exported to Japan where they were highly valued, as the Japanese kilns did not start making porcelain until the early 17th century, and even their products were limited in numbers and localised in distribution. A newly arisen class of wealthy merchants prospered in many emergent urban centres, and it was this group that fostered the growth of the tea ceremony as it is practised today.
A comparable example without the openwork panels but with a Jiajing six-character reign mark was sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 27 October 2003, lot 606.