Wine Pot

Pewter, an alloy of tin, lead and sometimes silver, from which this vessel is made, has a history of use of several thousand years in China. It has excellent heat-keeping properties, making it ideal for a wine pot. Hot wine is often preferred in the Orient.

The lion, an emblem of valour and energy, is associated with Chinese Buddhism. The male is often shown playing with a ball, which may represent the sun , or a symbol of the dual male and female powers of nature, or a precious stone.

A hexagonal metal pot (part a) set on six short feet placed at junctions of ajoining planes. There is a flat base, a spout, and a handle. The shoulders curve in to a high hexagonal neck with a projecting lip. A lid (part b) of equal depth with the neck is fitted tightly within it, with a matching projecting lip resting on that of the neck. The hexagonal dome lid flattens at the top and is surmounted by the figure of a lion with one front paw resting on a ball.