Water Dropper in Tortoise Design

Water Dropper

Cobalt-blue water dropper. Turtle shell modeled with patterns on nature. The head builds the spout, the middle of the backside bears the inlet.

Object ID
Korea_031

Age
Joseon Dynasty (1392 – 1910 AD)

Material
Ceramics

Color
white & light blue

Height
3.8 cm

Width
7.5 cm

Length
10 cm

Condition
Very Good

Price
on request

Description

Cobalt-blue water dropper in tortoise design. The turtle shell is modeled with double hexagonal and hexagonal patterns on nature and shaped with a small bead. The head that can be withdrawn by the turtle serves as the spout, the middle of the oval backside bears the inlet. The lower part in smooth cobalt color without ornaments drags on beyond to the unglazed bottom.

Such a water dropper belonged to the writing-utensils. In this regard it was very popular to produce imaginative vessels for example in the form of animals. After the filling with water the vessel is placed upright. In order to dose the amount of water to thin the ink precisely, the writer has to place his finger on the top opening. [1] Only such animal figures were suitable for design which could be transformed into small containers. (HV)

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[1] Chang, Ki-hoon (2000): Wassertropfer. In: Handbuch der koreanischen Kunst. Steinzeug und Seladon. Tübingen. 112-119