Chinese Ceramic Pitcher

A faceted cream ewer with a lid, a ring handle and a long curved spout.

This lou type porcelain pitcher is from Jiangxi Province, China, and dates to the 20th century. Porcelain is a high-fired ceramic made from kaolin clay, and it is valued for being hard, fine-grained and, when thin, slightly translucent. An eight-sided body in creamy glaze narrows to a shoulder under a faceted lid topped with a small loop. A looped handle rises on one side and a slender spout curves out on the other. The glaze is crackled and the foot is bare. It is 3.5 inches wide, 3.5 deep and 4.5 high.

Proper as pouring gets, and a little bit regal.