Lot Essay
Like the previous lot, this ewer was decorated before being glazed and fired. The clear white colour of the frit body meant that the potter could leave a considerable amount of open space on the design, having faith that it would appear a clear unblemished white on the final product. The shape of this ewer was derived from metalwork, a surviving example of which can be seen in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York (acc.no. 63.158.3). There are even examples known where the potter has used a mould to create a ‘faceted’ effect to evoke the texture of hammered metal (Oliver Watson, Ceramics of Iran, London, 2020, p.199, cat.no. 101). An example of a jug with similar underglaze decoration is kept in the Asian Art Museum (acc.no. B62P223), while another was sold in these Rooms, 27 October 2022, lot 36.