A Chinese porcelain writing-brush jar, made between 1630 and 1650, and painted in underglaze blue with objects associated with the theme of 'Antiquities' (among them an antique ding (a cauldron with legs, a lid and two facing handles, used for the preparation of ritual offerings to ancestors) and an incense burner). It was mounted in England between 1660 and 1670 with extravagant silver-gilt mounts probably made by the Swiss goldsmith Wolfgang Howzer (died 1688). The addition of the mounts has transformed the brush jar into a luxurious, decorative two-handled cup and cover. The bold scrolling handles support greyhounds, and the decoration of the cover cleverly mimics that on the porcelain. At the top of the cover, another hound is seated on top of a grassy mound.
By the mid-17th century, when this brush jar came to England, blue and white Chinese porcelain was widely available in noble and wealthy households, and was no longer considered rare or curious. Porcelains of the finest quality, however, continued to be set in decorative mounts.
The greyhounds and seated hound on the mounts could be heraldic motifs that refer to the crest of the person who owned the pot and commissioned its gilded silver mounts. The goldsmith, working with great skill to create the elaborate decoration on the cover, has created a masterpiece worthy of any princely collection.