This listing is for a Satsuma style Chocolate pot or tea pot, made in Japan, probably in the 20th century.
I was not very familiar with Chocolate pots when my husband brought this one home. At first, I felt that what he had found was not actually a Chocolate pot at all, but rather a tea pot. Earlier chocolate pots were made with a hole in the lid and a swizzle stick (molinet) for keeping the chocolate from settling. Ours had no hole in the lid and a stationary finial. Given this information I felt sure that the example we had was a tea pot, not a chocolate pot. However ,a little more reading revealed that the advent and popularization of cocoa powder in the 20th century had made the molinet unnecessary, and so modern versions were made and imported with a stationary finial. Voila! We have a fairly modern Chocolate pot! (And this is why it takes me so long to do a listing...I spend way to much time down rabbit holes learning things I didn't know I wanted to know!) Even the pattern shown on this piece was typical of the Satsuma style, and was designed to appeal to a Western buyers vision of Japanese life.
Enough history, now about this specific piece:
This is a used Chocolate pot, but it does seem to be in very nice condition with no chips or crazing. I see one small crack or crease in the area of the lid right around the spout opening. See photo for details. The handplanted scene shows an idyllic Japanese garden accented with greens pinks and a deeper "orangy" coral. Other colors likes blues and yellows make guest appearances throughout the design. There are occasional gold accents and white enamel dots which are hallmarks of this style. This pot is tall and slender, standing about 9 inches high to the top of the finial.
Take a look at my photos for details and feel free to reach out with any questions! I am always happy to answer!
Thanks for looking!
Joanna