Water Dropper
13th/ 14th Century (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Chinese scholars liked to use writing accessories made of jade, because Confucius praised jade as 'the embodiment of virtue'. This jade water dropper in the form of a lotus leaf would have carried an additional meaning. The lotus had always been seen as a flower that 'remained unstained by the muddy surrounding', thus a symbol of uncompromised integrity. The water dropper was an important utensil in the scholar's studio. Each time the scholar composed a literary work he needed to produce ink by grinding an ink cake on an inkstone, adding a small amount of water during the process.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Nephrite jade with carved decoration |
| Brief description | Scu, China, carving, jade |
| Physical description | Brush washer in the form of a lotus leaf with pod of grey-green jade and brown markings. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Credit line | Given by Thomas Watters Esq. |
| Object history | Given by Mr. Thomas Watters, accessioned in 1888. This acquisition information reflects that found in the Asia Department registers, as part of a 2022 provenance research project. Given by Thomas Watters, Esq. |
| Production | Craig Clunas 13/08/1986: see entry for 1623-1882, closely comparable to this piece, and the discussion on the probability of a Southern Song date. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | Chinese scholars liked to use writing accessories made of jade, because Confucius praised jade as 'the embodiment of virtue'. This jade water dropper in the form of a lotus leaf would have carried an additional meaning. The lotus had always been seen as a flower that 'remained unstained by the muddy surrounding', thus a symbol of uncompromised integrity. The water dropper was an important utensil in the scholar's studio. Each time the scholar composed a literary work he needed to produce ink by grinding an ink cake on an inkstone, adding a small amount of water during the process. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 1857-1888 |
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| Record created | August 26, 2004 |
| Record URL |
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