Ewer with makara spout with lotus-form cover

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This finely formed glazed ewer with strap handle and truncated spout in the form of a mythical dragon makara was intended for serving wine. Its robust bulbous body is decorated with incised floral scrolling, and its lid of lotus leaf form. It has a low foot largely concealed beneath the swelling body of the ewer. Such glazed stoneware ewers were produced in the ceramic industry that prospered in the Hong (Red) River delta region of northern Vietnam in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. Although this ceramic industry emerges as a major producer of glazed stoneware ceramics for the Southeast Asian markets, such ewers are rarely found in an export context and appears to have been largely for domestic consumption.

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