CHRYSANTHEMUM-SHAPED CHINESE SOUP SPOON / WATER DROPPER, White porcelain, Ming–Qing Period (1368–1911 CE)

This is a white‑porcelain lotus‑shaped water dropper made in the late Ming to early Qing period. A shallow bowl, its lotus‑petal pattern neatly coaxed into the form, is fitted with a slenderly extended handle; while the object’s origin lies in the everyday spoon, this example is formed to an exceptionally thin profile. The incisions at the rim and on the underside are crisp, and a glassy glaze with a faint bluish cast covers the pure‑white body, conveying the refinement of late‑Ming white ware. Slight irregularities remain in the details, revealing the gentle fluctuations characteristic of handcraft. Whereas the Qing saw many thicker, more mass‑produced pieces, this example combines the measured neatness and delicacy of the earlier phase, its surface—suggestive of chrysanthemum petals—catching the light to yield soft gradations of shadow.

This piece was passed down as a calligrapher’s heirloom, and its condition is exceptionally good. When I first held it, I too, as a tea practitioner, felt strongly that I would like to use it in tea service as a lotus-shaped spoon. It is a distinguished work in which the free, imaginative sensibility of literati taste and the quiet refinement of white porcelain harmonize.