Lotus bud waterdropper

This finely detailed water container is shaped like a lotus bud and seed pod and was crafted from red, brown, and yellow clays. It was created by Chen Mingyuan (his square seal is imprinted on the bottom), a versatile potter famous for his scholar's desk objects fashioned to look like bamboo, nuts, vegetables, and prunus. Chen worked at the Yixing kilns in Jiangsu province, which developed a following among the literati class during the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) for their small, unassuming organic taste products that took inspiration from nature. The waterdropper, an essential implement for the literatus, was used to hold the water that was sprinkled onto the grinding stone when making ink.