Chinese Shipwreck Funnel-Form Mercury Storage Vessel

Sand-gray and gently rippled, like a tapered stone worn by decades of patience.

This shipwreck funnel-form mercury storage vessel is from Cizao Kilns, Fujian Province, China. It is stoneware. Ceramics fired and glazed at high temperatures could stay unaffected for centuries underwater, especially when buried beneath silt, while most other trade cargo was destroyed, swept away or disintegrated over time. Soft conical vessel with a slightly lopsided shoulder, a tiny mouth and fine ripples running down the body. The surface is dusty cream with a trace of pink at one side and small dark flecks. It is 5 inches wide, 5 deep and 7.5 high.

Pleasantly lumpy and in no hurry to be anything else.