Ring-shaped water dropper

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

To prepare ink for calligraphy or painting, a Joseon scholar might have used this instrument to drip water onto an inkstone for grinding an ink stick. Porcelain water droppers, often in whimsical shapes and with or without painted decoration, were fashionable during the nineteenth century.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.

Metropolitan Museum of Art