
Collection Online as of September 29, 2023
Porcelain with underglaze decoration, qingbai ("blue-white") ware
The Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund 1973.14
not on view
The double gourd is traditionally regarded as a talisman that protected children against diseases.
Made in South China, this figurine of a potter holding a double-gourd vase was probably once used as a toy. The coarse white porcelain form is covered with thin light greenish-blue, qingbai, glaze. The potter's cap and the coils on his shoulders are painted with blackish-brown ferruginous slip. The glaze stops short of the slightly recessed base, which is burnt a very light pinkish-buff color.