Ceremonial Gourd Vessel

Used to dispense herbal infusions during ritual ceremonies, this Qing-dynasty bottle was crafted with exceptional skill and understanding of the medium. Deftly using ribs to give the bottle’s bulbous shape the look of a gourd, a symbol thought to scare away malefic spirits, the artist incised and layered on decoration, choosing an earth-toned, monochromatic glaze to focus attention on the vessel’s dynamic shadows and highlights.