Waterpot with peach-bloom glaze

The waterpot is decorated with three roundels of chi-dragon-and-phoenix motifs. Its interior and base are covered with transparent glaze, while on the base there is a three-line, six-character imperial reign mark in regular script and in underglaze blue, reading “Da Qing Kangxi nian zhi” (“made in the year of Kangxi of the Great Qing Empire”).

Transmutation of the "peach-blossom" effect, obtained from copper, is unpredictable in its response to firing conditions, and it is extremely difficult to control. It is also called "drunken beauty", "apple green", etc., reflecting the variety of fascinating color effects, ranging from a moss green to a deep, spotted red. 　　
　　　　　　
This special glaze first made its appearance in the late Kangxi period, but production was halted after the Yongzheng or Qianlong era, due to the loss of both technique and glaze formula. Not until the Guangxu reign of the late Qing did peach-blossom ware reappear, in imitation of the original Kangxi pieces. Generally small, Kangxi peach-blossom ware comes in eight distinctive forms of washer, pot, jar and vase all destined for the scholar's desk.