Description
Chalcedony; with a wide mouth and supported on a shallow raised foot rim with rounded edges, very well hollowed to reveal a natural dark splash in the form of a dragon with wind-swept mane and undulating body racing through the sky, Official School.
The imaginative possibilities of ink-play are demonstrated by this bottle. When the author first viewed it he discerned, reading the markings from right to left, the undulating body of a dragon with a clearly defined horned head on the left. On a second viewing he read the markings from left to right and a figure with a dark head was clearly revealed running from a breaking wave.
The impressive broadened oval shape of the bottle (see no. 111 above) with a clear area around the shoulders has allowed more space for the natural colours to exert their magic. As is usual with the entire group of ink-play bottles, the technical aspects of the bottle, such as the polish of the surface and the finish of the mouth and foot rim are perfectly realised.
