Chinese (or Korean?) Water Dropper

[TKNZ]

Hi all,

This is the final piece I'll be posting today; a water dropper which to me seems like it might be quite old, due to its understated styling and general wear. I've found examples of yellow glaze decoration on a lighter beige background in both Korean and Chinese timelines, so as far as I'm concerned it could be from either place as the form seems fairly nondescript. The square strip of clay used to make the handle seems primarily to be seen in use prior to the 15th C in the north of China and into Korea, though I might be wrong on this front. The clay used to make it is a fairly dark grey. It is about 7cm high.
Any opinions on age or origin would be most welcome!

Thanks,
Thomas.

[peterp]

Not sure about this - but then water droppers had plenty of non-standard shapes. Its base makes it unlikely Korean, if it is Chinese Tang would be more likely based both on the flat bottom and decoration colors. Did you try to find it among Changsha wares?

[TKNZ]

Hi Peter,

I was leaning towards Changsha if it was a ware of Chinese origin, but they by and large seem to use either a reddish earthenware or a much lighter beige clay, whereas grey clays seem more common within Korean wares. The form and decoration make me lean towards Changsha, but at the same time they're fairly ambiguous and the clay hints at Korea. I did find a couple of Tang pieces using darker grey clays, so ultimately, I think it may be Changsha, but made using a less common source of clay.

Thanks,
Thomas.

[peterp]

Have you tried to clean the bottom a bit? This looks more like dirt than a dark clay to me. I have been collecting Korean porcelain for some time now and I have not seen any from the Joseon or Goryeo periods with such a bottom. Especially the older ones virtually always have stilt marks.

[TKNZ]

Hi Peter,

I cleaned the bottom a little (I don't want to be too invasive with it) and it got a bit lighter; I imagine if I kept going it may get to a stage where it was almost an ochre/beige colour like was common for Tang wares, but I'd rather not do that as I'd prefer to leave it in as untouched a state as possible (I don't believe the dirt is causing any damage to the ware itself). I think I was a bit deceived by the fact the chip on the tip of the spout is also quite dark, but retrospectively I think that it may be old enough damage that the exposed area itself has darkened, giving the illusion of a darker clay body through and through.

Given the result of the cleaning, I imagine that (if it is actually an antique and not a reproduction) it is most likely to be Changsha ware as the clay would be a colour I'm more comfortable linking to that genre, and the form and decoration also seems to be a general fit with pieces from that area and time.

Thanks,
Thomas.