Secret reverse-filling ewer (倒流壺) bronze, China, Ming dynasty (1368–1644)

This small bronze ewer, with its flattened, disc-like body, belongs to the family of daoliuhu (倒流壺), also known as inverted-fill ewers. It is filled from the bottom, and the liquid circulates through an internal tube, a design that allows pouring from the spout while keeping the filling opening hidden during use. Its size and comfortable grip suggest it was a typical object for a scholar's study, used for water or ink, with a controlled flow.

The form is constructed with great economy of lines. A looped handle contrasts with the sculpted, three-dimensional spout: a bird's head, likely a phoenix, with its beak slightly open. At the top, a spherical knob rests on a small corolla. The whole rests on a rectangular pedestal with molded profiles, hollowed out underneath, designed to stabilize the object while protecting the infill area. The patina is brownish-black, punctuated by slight oxidation and a repair on the side of the base.

The principle of daoliuhu and the role of the internal tube are described in a publication of the National Palace Museum, Gugong wenwu yuekan (故宮文物月刊), n°416, November 2017, in the article by Zhang Zhiguang (“文物中的科學原理—以倒流壺為例"). For typology and terminology, we can compare this type of object to the reference corpora published by 文物出版社, notably中國古陶瓷圖典(Feng Xianming, 1998), and, for the Ming–Qing expertise approach,明清瓷器鑒定(Geng Baochang,紫禁城出版社).

Formally, museum parallels exist at the National Palace Museum (Taipei) concerning bronze water droppers with bird/phoenix-head spouts. The museum notably houses a phoenix-beaked he (盉, h. 15.7 cm) and publishes a Ming bronze phoenix-beaked water dropper with inlays (嵌金銀鳳首盉), referring to the printed catalogue (故宮銅器圖錄, 1958). The auction market confirms the category of small zoomorphic bronze desk pieces from the Ming period, with Bonhams notably offering bronze water droppers in animal forms attributed to this era.

Dimensions : height 14.9 cm; width 14.8 cm; depth 3.4 cm.