Chinese Shipwreck Funnel-Form Mercury Storage Vessel

Sand-yellow and softly domed, with a streak of orange running down like a sunset stripe.

This shipwreck funnel-form mercury storage vessel is from Cizao Kilns, Fujian Province, China. It is stoneware. Many shipwreck ceramics surfaced when fishermen off the coasts of Indonesia and Southeast Asia began catching them in their nets, often still intact and looking no worse for centuries underwater. Conical vessel with a rounded shoulder, no visible neck and a narrow flat base. The pale yellow surface carries a vertical band of rusty orange and a few small dark specks. It is 4 inches wide, 4 deep and 6.75 high.

A mellow shade, worn with a modest swagger.