Ewer in the shape of a dancing woman on a base, her gown fluttering around her, her right leg slightly raised. Her right arm forms the spout. The mouth at the top of her head, the stopper shaped as a topknot is missing. Decorated in underglaze blue and overglaze iron-red, two shades of green, and yellow, with cranes and cloud motifs, among others. On the pedestal a reclining hare. On the base a square mark with the character shou (long life) in seal script.

This type of ewer is rare. They form part of the production of a wide variety of figures of Immortals and others that developed during the first half of the Wanli period, although comparable figures are usually decorated in underglaze blue. Red circles, often painted with golden scrolls, are a common motif on Wanli export porcelain.
Comparable ewers are in the Percival David Collection, London (Medley), and in the Idemitsu Museum in Tokyo (Tokyo 1981). An example with a Wanli mark is in the National Museum of Tokyo (Tokyo 1965). According to Mr Van Diepen, this piece was bought from an antiques dealer in Groningen, The Netherlands, in about 1960; unfortunately, a more precise origin is unknown. It is one of the finest pieces in the collection.

This top piece is to admire in the most important ceramicsmuseum of the Netherlands, the Princessehof in Leeuwarden

From; Selectie uit de collectie Oosterse keramiek (zie button "Publicaties")

Copyright © 2005 Jan Menze van Diepen Stichting. All rights reserved.