Chinese Ceramic Pitcher

Six soft ribs run from shoulder to foot, as if the clay were a melon.

This pitcher comes from Nanyang in Henan Province, China, and is contemporary, of egg shell and Nanyang porcelain. Lobed ewers of this form echo shapes popular in the Song dynasty, when potters often borrowed the outlines of fruit and flowers for their vessels. The tall body is divided by raised ribs and glazed a soft sky blue, crossed by a faint crackle. A slender spout rises from the shoulder, a looping handle curls down the opposite side, and the neck opens into a fluted rim. It is 4 inches wide and 7.5 high.

Pours with considerable ceremony, or would, given the chance.