A Rare 15th Century Vietnamese Turtle Shaped Pottery Water Dropper. From the collection of Robert and Alice Piccus, Robert McPherson Antiques, from the Collection of John Drew (1933 - 2006). This finely potted and well painted water-dropper is of high quality, the neat and confident painting makes good use of the strong bright cobalt blue. There was a wide range of Vietnamese of water droppers made in the second half of the 15th century to the early 16th century. The Hoi An Hoard had a number of novel forms, including what are described as frogs, but I think they are toads (they are painted with spotty skin). See below for a toad water-dropper from the Hoi An Hoard wreck that is part of a small gift I made to the British Museum in 2001. The present example was published in The Oriental Ceramic Society of Hong Kong's Exhibition Catalogue : South-East Asian and Chinese Trade Pottery: An Exhibition Catalogue (Hardcover) 1st of January 1979. page 188, plate 193. See below for a photograph of the catalogue and the extry for this Vietnamese pottery turtle.   Vietnamese Pottery From the Chu Dou Kilns : Chu Dou Kilns, six kilometres from Hai Dong was the largest centre of ceramic production in medieval Vietnam. The quality of the ceramics ranged from crude everyday vessels to exquisite pieces decorated with great skill. Large quantities were produced, moulds were employed to form dishes and bowls, the rims were then wiped clean of glaze so they could be fired rim to rim without sticking in the kiln. The style of the decoration was very free and appears often to have been painted at speed using a very wet brush. Individual lines of the decoration have a visible starting and finishing point. The exact spot where the artist first touched the surface of the ceramic object with his brush can be identified and then where he removed it. I say “he” but a most important jar in the Topkapi Saray Museum in Istanbul is signed and dated by a female artist. Men, women and many children were all employed in ceramic production in Vietnam.   See Below For More Photographs and Information.