Collection
/
Asian Art

Water Dropper in the Shape of a Peach

last half of 18th century

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Object Label

Throughout eastern Asia, writers and painters created their own ink by adding drops of water to dry pigment. Water droppers with tiny spouts were a standard accessory for any desk, and they became one of the few decorative items that proper Confucian scholars could display in their studies without accusations of frivolity. In Korea, water droppers took many imaginative forms and their decoration often included auspicious emblems of Chinese origin, such as bats, which represent good fortune. The peach-shaped dropper here, with its copper-red decoration, is a particularly fine example; peaches are an emblem of longevity.

Caption

Water Dropper in the Shape of a Peach, last half of 18th century. Glazed porcelain with cobalt blue and copper red decoration, overall: 4 3/8 x 3 3/4 x 3 7/8 in. (11.1 x 9.5 x 9.8 cm) Height: 4 3/8 in. (11.1 cm) Width: 3 3/4 in. (9.5 cm) Depth: 3 7/8 in. (9.8 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Robert S. Anderson, 1993.185.3.

Collection

Asian Art

Title

Water Dropper in the Shape of a Peach

Date

last half of 18th century

Dynasty

Joseon Dynasty

Geography

Place made: Korea

Medium

Glazed porcelain with cobalt blue and copper red decoration

Classification

Ceramic

Dimensions

overall: 4 3/8 x 3 3/4 x 3 7/8 in. (11.1 x 9.5 x 9.8 cm) Height: 4 3/8 in. (11.1 cm) Width: 3 3/4 in. (9.5 cm) Depth: 3 7/8 in. (9.8 cm)

Credit Line

Gift of Robert S. Anderson

Accession Number

1993.185.3

Frequent Art Questions

  • What is a water dropper?

    A water dropper was used to wet ink stones or blocks that needed to be moistened so that scholars could pick up the pigment with a brush to write. If you look closely, each one has a small hole at the top that would drip the water out when inverted.

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