A DEHUA ‘CRAB AND LOTUS’ WASHER AND WATERDROPPER, EARLIER QING DYNASTY China, 17^th-18^th century. Well potted as a lotus leaf borne on an elegantly curved stalk forming the spout of the waterdropper, of lobed form and supported on three short feet, the interior with a small crab. Covered overall with a soft glaze of ivory tone.

Provenance: Collection of Erik Dons, thence by descent. Erik Dons (1915-2002) was a Norwegian diplomat. He served as ambassador to Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines from 1956 to 1959, and to the People's Republic of China from 1959 to 1964. He wrote two books, Norsk statsborgerrett (1947) and FN i arbeid (1949).
Condition: Very good condition with minor wear and firing irregularities, some tiny frits to the rim.

Weight: 78.8 g
Dimensions: Length 8.7 cm

Literature comparison: Compare a closely related example illustrated in Dehua Wares Collected by the Palace Museum II, Beijing, 2016, p. 542, no. 248.

清初德化“連中三甲”水注
中國，十七至十八世紀。呈像牙白釉。水注作一蟹趴於一荷葉之狀。蟹塑造得形象逼真。漏斗形水口置於蟹的身後與蟹身內部相通，以便注水和儲水，而以荷葉的莖乾為流，用以出水。

來源：Erik Dons收藏，保存至今。Erik Dons (1915-2002) 曾是挪威外交官。 他於 1956 年至 1959 年擔任泰國、印度尼西亞和菲律賓大使，並於 1959 年至 1964 年擔任駐華大使。他寫了兩本書，為Norsk statsborgerrett (1947) 和 FN i arbeid (1949)。
品相：狀況極好，輕微磨損和燒製瑕疵，邊緣有一些微小的熔塊。

重量：78.8 克
尺寸：長8.7 厘米