LATE MING DYNASTY, 16TH/17TH CENTURY

Compare the jade bixie-shaped water dropper of this type, in the Qing Court collection, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum - 41 - Jadeware (II), Hong Kong, 1995, p. 194, no. As with the present water dropper, a small ear cup is positioned below the mouth to hold the water that flows from the hollow body.