Chinese Shipwreck Funnel-Form Mercury Storage Vessel

Broad-shouldered and biscuit-colored, with a tiny opening that seems almost shy.

This shipwreck funnel-form mercury storage vessel is from Cizao Kilns, Fujian Province, China. It is stoneware. Funnel-shaped earthenware from the late Song or early Yuan periods is believed to have carried mercury, which alchemists long associated with immortality and which physicians prescribed for a variety of illnesses. Squat tapering vessel in warm peach-tan with a smooth surface, a flat shoulder and a small hole at the top. A deeper orange stain runs down one side, and a few small pits and scratches show. It is 4.25 inches wide, 4.25 deep and 7 high.

Plump above, narrow below, and well pleased with the arrangement.