This squared tea jar is decorated on each side with panels showing two dragons chasing a pearl amongst the clouds. The model is probably inspired by Dutch pewter examples of tea jars. Similar shaped tea jars are also commonly produced in blue and white porcelain during the 18th century. The warm brown tone is the result of the low sand content of the clay, which comes from Yixing in Jiangsu province, eastern China. The Yixing kilns are known to have produced high quality ceramics, particularly teapots, from as early as the 16th century. The tea jars are not usually glazed, but burnished and fired. Yixing wares are popular domestically and abroad.
