Water jug; China, 20th century

Water jug; China, 20th century
Glazed porcelain; bronze
Bears a mark on the base
Measurements: 53 x 22 x 15 cm.

A water jug or ornamental pitcher made of glazed porcelain with gilded bronze mounts, manufactured in China in the 1990s as a reproduction of a 19th-century European porcelain model. The pear-shaped body is decorated with alternating bands of white and turquoise, featuring bouquets of flowers on the white background and stylized fern motifs in gold on the turquoise background. The bronze mountings include an openwork neck, a spout with an applied mask at its base, a handle up which a child figure in the round climbs, and a three-legged pedestal on a porcelain base with decoration matching that of the body.

This type of ornamental ewer, which serves no practical purpose, faithfully reflects the 19th-century European taste for decorative pieces that combined hand-decorated porcelain with bronze mounts inspired by classical or Rococo styles.