ADDITIONAL INFORMATION :

We have not encountered comparable models decorated in famille rose enamels. In the work cited below, a figure decorated in famille verte enamels is likewise described as having an opening beneath the right foot, and it is also suggested that it may have functioned as a water dropper. The cavity beneath the foot is substantial and suggests that the figure may indeed originally have been intended for such use; however, there appears to be no other opening that would make its use particularly practical. Testing shows that liquid does emerge gradually in the form of droplets, yet the logic of the aperture does not at first seem especially efficient for the use a scholar might have made of it. The figure presents a minute orifice on the inner side of the right arm, which could have served as the channel for the water; if so, accumulated dirt now prevents any flow.

The possibility of this piece functioning as a water dropper is also discussed in Biscuit: Refined Chinese Famille Verte Wares, Jorge Welsh, 2012, p. 130, fig. 33. Indeed, it is noted that the form of the figure, its weight, and the position of the opening render such a function rather difficult to control.

BIBLIOGRAPHY :

For a comparable example decorated in famille verte enamels, see:

– The Copeland Collection: Chinese and Japanese Ceramic Figures, William R. Sargent, 1991, p. 72, no. 26.

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