The influence of metalware on the potters of Jingdezhen is obvious in this fine piece. Melon­-shaped, multi-­faceted vessels such as this are derived from metal prototypes of the same period. A practically identical qingbai water dropper of similar size and also with a melon­-shaped body, dated to the Southern Song dynasty, is in the collection of the Jianxi Provincial History and Ancient Ceramics Committee.[1]  Another similar qingbai water dropper of comparable stylised melon­ shaped form, dated to the Southern Song dynasty, was unearthed from the Suining city, Sichuan province, and is now in the collection of the Suining City Museum.[2]

1. Qingbaici Jingpin Jianshang (Appreciate fine works of Qingbai ceramics), Jianxi Meishu chubanshe,  Nanchang, 2012, p. 74
2. Song Yun: Sichuan Jiao Cang Wen Wu Ji Cui, Zhongguo shehui kexue chuban she, Beijing, 2006, p. 197

Ben Janssens Oriental Art