Medieval China Ceramic Incised Apple Calligraphy Water Dropper Ink Well 1200AD

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! Exceptionally Well Preserved, Intricate Genuine Ancient Medieval “Celadon Green” Glazed Ceramic Apple Shaped Calligraphy Water Dropper. CLASSIFICATION : Glazed “Celadon Green” Ceramic Calligrapher’s Water Dropper. ATTRIBUTION : Ancient China, In the Style of Song Dynasty (906-1279 A.D.). Possibly an 18th or 19th Century Imitative Revival. SIZE/MEASUREMENTS : Height: 81 millimeters (3 1/4 inches). Diameter: 85 millimeters (3 3/8 inches). Width: 91 millimeters (3 2/3 inches) including spout. CONDITION : Exceptionally good, nicely preserved. Some crackling/crazing of ceramic glaze finish. Most encrusted soil deposits were removed by our conservators. However unglazed underneath of vessel remains soil stained, the remain soil stains inside of the vessel, and there are also a few very light mineralized soil deposits which could be soaked off if desired. DETAIL : A splendid glazed ceramic “water dropper” in the style of the late Song (906-1279 A.D.) Dynasty, approximately the size of a medium-large apple. A water dropper would have been a vital accoutrement for a calligrapher or painter using water colors as a medium; allowing him to precisely dispense a single drop of water. The ink a calligrapher used was generally a solid block, and small portions of it needed to be mixed with a precise amount of water in order to make liquid ink. This is no ordinary specimen, it is very elaborate and intricate. As you can see, the water is dispensed through a delicate little spout. The utensil is formed in the shape of what appears to be a stylized apple, but could be some type of squash or tomato. You might note that quite extraordinary for the style, there is an incised pattern which was carved into the vessel before it was fired. There is a vine end and leaves on the top, very characteristic of some form of squash (or tomato). Not familiar with all of the wide variety of fruits and vegetables popular both in contemporary as well as ancient China, it is hard to say whether this is an accurate depiction of some species (likely) or merely a fanciful interpretation. But in any event, it is extraordinarily detailed and delicate in rendition. It is a very elaborate depiction, an exceptional water dropper, and no doubt very expensive and exclusive when originally produced. The glaze is almost entirely intact, uncommon for a utensil which is at least several centuries old. There is an area of encrusted mineralization, which suggests that perhaps this was buried in a situation where it came in contact with percolating water, and over time some of the water and the accompanying mineralization worked its way beneath the glaze. The area which is affected by this blemish may be seen in these images. There is of course some crackling/crazing indicative of the age of the piece, the crazing very common to ancient ceramic and porcelain glazes. There are also some very stubborn soil encrustations which could, if desired, be soaked off. However we’ll leave that decision to you. We cleaned it off of all of the loose soil adhesions. The unglazed underside still possesses some reddish soil stains. Whether you wish to scrub it clean is entirely your decision. This is a very fine piece of ancient porcelain. There are of course a few minor scuffs, but nothing which can be discerned except with the most careful and diligent scrutiny – truly insignificant blemishes. And there are no cracks and no chips of any dimension or description. The light green glaze that this artifact possesses came to be known as “Celadon Green”, and it was very famous export-quality porcelain ware from the time of the Song Dynasty through the Ming Dynasty and into the Qing Dynasty, a period of perhaps 700 or 800 years. It might not be quite perfect, but it is about as close to perfect as you will ordinarily find of an authentic little piece of ancient porcelain like this. Overall it is an exceptionally attractive piece, and ex... read more

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