A rare Qingbai “Duomu” ewer - Yuan Dynasty - SOLD

This ewer has a tapered cylindrical shape, widest at the base. The rear half of the mouth has a raised Ruyi cloud-shaped pattern, and the spout has a square shape. The body is decorated with leather band imitations and the small lid has a stamped raised flower petal pattern. It is covered in a pale blue glaze pooling in the recesses. This shape is referred to as “Duomu” in the literature, and evolved from metal or wooden containers used by the Mongolian and Tibetan people to store milk. It was probably fired in a Jingdezhen kiln.


Period: Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368)

Size: Height 12.7 cm, Diameter of base 5.8 cm

Condition: Good condition, wear consistent with age, minor chips to the rear stopper of the mouth, crack to the base probably from manufacture.

Provenance: From a private collection brought together by a Swedish connoisseur of art. Making a career first at SIDA (Swedish International Development Cooporation Agency) and then later, he had a long career with the United Nations where he came to work mostly in Sweden, Iran, India, Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia and New York for close to 30 years.

SKU: 43

References: A larger ewer of this shape was excavated from the Yuantuo tomb in Longtan Lake, Chongwen district, Beijing, and is illustrated in Complete Collection of Ceramic Art unearthed in China - Beijing, Zhang Bai, Science Press, Bejing, 2008, Plate 83.