YONGZHENG PERIOD (1723-1735)

Qing dynasty ceramic monk’s cap ewers are based on Yuan and early Ming dynasty prototypes, which were in turn influenced by metal examples used in ritual ceremonies of the Lamaist sect of Buddhism. The early Ming ceramic ewers of this form are decorated in sacrificial red, sacrificial blue, and white glazes, some of which are further detailed with anhua decoration.

The small size of this monk's cap ewer makes it extremely rare. Another copper red monk's cap ewer of similar size (11.7 cm high) with a Qianlong mark and of the period in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, is illustrated in Emperor Ch’ien-lung’s Grand Cultural Enterprise, Taipei, 2000, p.197, no. V-33.