Collection
/
Asian Art

Water Dropper

19th century

1 of 2

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, 19th century. Porcelain with cobalt blue underglaze decoration, Height: 1 3/4 in. (4.4 cm) Diameter at mouth: 3 9/16 in. (9.1 cm) Diameter at base: 2 5/8 in. (6.7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Roger Elliot and Mr. and Mrs. Jack Ford in memory of Jean Alexander, 85.114.4.

Collection

Asian Art

Title

Water Dropper

Date

19th century

Dynasty

Joseon dynasty

Period

Joseon period

Geography

Place made: Korea

Medium

Porcelain with cobalt blue underglaze decoration

Classification

Ceramic

Dimensions

Height: 1 3/4 in. (4.4 cm) Diameter at mouth: 3 9/16 in. (9.1 cm) Diameter at base: 2 5/8 in. (6.7 cm)

Credit Line

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Roger Elliot and Mr. and Mrs. Jack Ford in memory of Jean Alexander

Accession Number

85.114.4

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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