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Duck-Shaped Vessel

15th century

Vietnam

Stoneware painted with underglaze cobalt blue

H. 5 3/4 x L. 8 in. (14.6 x 20.3 cm)

Asia Society, New York: Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection, 1979.99

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This charming duck-shaped vessel attests to the internationalism of Vietnamese ceramics during the 15th century. The motif of a single or a pair of mandarin ducks often symbolized marital bliss in China, although duck-shaped vessels were not common in Chinese ceramics. The impetus behind the development of this piece may have come from the Indonesian tradition of the kendi, a container originally used for pouring libations in Buddhist ceremonies. Kendi are generally distinguished by their spherical bodies and by the use of the neck as a handle as well as for filling the vessel. Vietnamese potters often modified the kendi by transforming the spout into the head of an animal or fish, and painting scales, fins, or feathers on the sides. Duck-shaped containers such as this one are often identified as water droppers because of their small spout openings. The four lugs on this vessel are unusual. Perhaps used to secure a cover or suspend the vessel, lugs are not found on kendi, suggesting that this vessel was intended for secular rather than ritual use.