The lobed waterdropper of melon form, quite elegant in its profile and proportions, was pressed from a mold, a lappet band circling the mouth below the ringed rim, the upper third of the vessel decorated in a pattern of dense florets as if an embroidered cloak were draped around the vessel. A short tube-shaped tapered spout is affixed on one side high on the shoulder centered on a pair of wings infilled with tiny dots while a strap handle is looped on the opposite side beneath a small tube placed horizontally for attachment of a lid. The pale blue glaze covers the vessel settling in the crevices and ending just above the convex base where the white porcelanous body is visible.
Such tiny vessels are like miniature ewers, produced in a great variety of designs, sized perfectly for their function and adding grace to the accoutrement gathered on the scholar’s desk.