Skip to main content
Collections Menu
SAM'S collection
Waterdropper
Waterdropper

Waterdropper

Date19th century
Label TextIndispensable objects for a scholar's desk, waterdroppers controlled the amount of water dripped onto an inkstone and were decorative as well as functional. Lotus pods symbolize fertility, and their name, lianzhi, is also a pun for "continuous sons." Turtles and peaches, as well as the figure of Shoulao riding the bull, are popular motifs for longevity. The oddly shaped citron is one of the Three Abundances in China and was popular in Japan as a scholar's accoutrement. The festive persimmon fruit, so elegantly depicted here, has long been a symbol of joy and good fortune in East Asia.
Object number92.47.79
Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Asian Art Museum, "Live Long and Prosper: Auspicious Motifs in East Asian Art", May 23, 2009 - February 21, 2010
Credit LineGift of Frank D. Stout
Dimensions2 x 4 1/4 x 4 in. (5.08 x 10.8 x 10.16 cm)
MediumBronze
Waterdropper modelled as a herdsboy pushing a gourd
Chinese
19th century
Object number: 92.47.80
Waterdropper
Chinese
Object number: 92.47.108
Waterdropper
Chinese
Object number: 92.47.109
Waterdropper
Chinese
Object number: 92.47.110
Waterdropper
Chinese
Object number: 92.47.111
Waterdropper modelled as a boar
Chinese
19th century
Object number: 92.47.120
Waterdropper modelled as a reclining camel
Chinese
19th century
Object number: 92.47.145
Waterdropper
Chinese
Object number: 92.47.150
Waterdropper
Chinese
Object number: 92.47.152
Waterdropper modelled as reclining figure of Li Po
Chinese
19th century
Object number: 92.47.187
Waterdropper
Japanese
19th century
Object number: 92.47.67
Waterdropper modelled as a lobster
Japanese
19th century
Object number: 92.47.68