File:WaterDropper.stl

English: This octagonal porcelain water dropper has a domed upper surface and rests on a foot. It has a venting hole on top. The spout for pouring the water is located at the center of one of the eight sides. The upper surface of the water dropper is decorated with a flower and leaf design. The flower with the venting hole at its center is outlined with cobalt blue and the edges of the petals filled in with copper red; leaves were painted in four of the eight corners and a blue line highlights the octagonal edge. The glaze is thick and has a bluish tinge. The glaze has curdled in several locations. The footrim bears traces of kiln sand. The spout was once broken and has been restored. Water droppers are essential items that scholars used for painting and writing calligraphy in their study, a room reserved for only men called a “sarangbang”. One can add water with a water dropper to an inkstone on which an ink stick is ground to create ink. Every water dropper has two holes: a spout through which the water could be poured and a venting hole for controlling the waterflow by covering or uncovering the hole with a finger. It was very important to be able to control the amount of water that was added on the inkstone, because different concentrations of the ink produce various effects on the work. By using a water dropper, one could maintain the consistency of the ink to achieve favourable results. Water droppers were often painted with symbolic animals and plant motifs which reflect the Confucian virtues and qualities a scholar gentleman would strive to attain. Just as other stationery articles used by scholars, literati landscape paintings and poetry were also frequently represented in decorative designs on water droppers. The shapes of water droppers varied greatly, from animal-shaped, vegetal or floral forms to geometric or fan-like forms.