A WHITE GLAZED PORCELAIN ANIMAL-FORM WATER DROPPER, JOSEON DYNASTY
A WHITE GLAZED PORCELAIN ANIMAL-FORM WATER DROPPER, JOSEON DYNASTY
Korea, 19th century. Finely modeled as a spirited mythical beast standing foursquare on short conical feet, its head proudly raised and terminating in a short upturned muzzle ingeniously pierced to form the spout. The expressive face is dominated by large circular eyes, left unglazed against the buff ware and picked out with dark-blue pupils, while three boldly defined folds accentuate the powerful neck. Rising from the back is a short flared aperture for filling the vessel. The body is enveloped in a thick translucent glaze of luminous bluish-white tone, gathering in the recesses and lending depth to the boldly modeled form.
Provenance: From the private collection of a prominent Belgian family of pharmacists, assembled between 1958 and 2020, and thence by descent.
Condition: Excellent condition with minor wear and firing irregularities.
Weight: 54.1 g
Dimensions: Length 7.8 cm
Literature comparison:
Compare a closely related clear-glazed water dropper in the form of an animal, dated Joseon dynasty, 19th century, 7.3 cm long, in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), accession number M.2003.177.5.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Sotheby's New York, 27 September 2023, lot 926
Price: USD 16,510 or approx. EUR 15,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A blue and white and iron-painted haetae-form water dropper, Joseon dynasty, 19th century
Expert remark: Compare the related animal form, modeling, and glaze. Note the similar size (8 cm).
Sale price
Estimate
Time, Location
Auction House
A WHITE GLAZED PORCELAIN ANIMAL-FORM WATER DROPPER, JOSEON DYNASTY
Korea, 19th century. Finely modeled as a spirited mythical beast standing foursquare on short conical feet, its head proudly raised and terminating in a short upturned muzzle ingeniously pierced to form the spout. The expressive face is dominated by large circular eyes, left unglazed against the buff ware and picked out with dark-blue pupils, while three boldly defined folds accentuate the powerful neck. Rising from the back is a short flared aperture for filling the vessel. The body is enveloped in a thick translucent glaze of luminous bluish-white tone, gathering in the recesses and lending depth to the boldly modeled form.
Provenance: From the private collection of a prominent Belgian family of pharmacists, assembled between 1958 and 2020, and thence by descent.
Condition: Excellent condition with minor wear and firing irregularities.
Weight: 54.1 g
Dimensions: Length 7.8 cm
Literature comparison:
Compare a closely related clear-glazed water dropper in the form of an animal, dated Joseon dynasty, 19th century, 7.3 cm long, in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), accession number M.2003.177.5.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Sotheby's New York, 27 September 2023, lot 926
Price: USD 16,510 or approx. EUR 15,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A blue and white and iron-painted haetae-form water dropper, Joseon dynasty, 19th century
Expert remark: Compare the related animal form, modeling, and glaze. Note the similar size (8 cm).
Sale price
Estimate
Time, Location
Auction House
