Small double gourd ewer

This 'qingbai' double gourd ewer has a sugary white body, moulded into two parts in the form of onions bulbs. A little 'ju-i' head is modelled on top of the handle and a decorative twist joins the handle to the upper bulb. It may have been used as a water dropper as the mouth is so small that it may have been made to be covered by the forefinger to control the flow. Ju-i is a kind of a sceptre used as a symbol of supremacy by ancient Chinese royalty. The head of the hilt was carved in the shape of a fungus called lingzhi, the plant of immortality. The name qingbai alludes to the bluish-tinged glaze that covered the white ceramic body of these vessels.

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