Blue-and-white porcelain ‘Hulu’ teapot, Ming dynasty

Porcelain modelled in the form of a teapot. It has a circular base and a bulging body in the shape of a gourd or ‘Hulu’, flanked by a small nozzle at the top and an elongated curved handle. It is decorated with details in relief of curled, thin branches from which large gourd leaves hang. Crowning the piece is a small, concave lid with underglaze-blue detailing. Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) or later. 

Height: 14 cm; Mouth diameter: 2.2 cm; Base diameter: 5.5 cm