Water dropper

Goryeo-dynasty potters often made their water droppers in the form of fruits, animals, birds, and children. This water dropper in the form of a tortoise standing on four legs has the head of a dragon. The dragon's head with its wide-open mouth and bulging eyes tilts upward imparting a sense of vigor. The tortoise has a powerful expanding chest and its back is decorated with incised tortoise shell markings and covered with twisting lotus stems in relief; a lotus leaf surrounds the spout on the back. The tortoise is known as one of four mythical East Asian animals together with the dragon, the phoenix, and the unicorn. The thin glaze has pooled in recessed areas creating the contrast of light and deep grayish blue colors.