Oiler

The oiler is complete. It is piriform. The wall is swollen, the shoulder is rounded and the neck is narrowed before presenting a wall flared towards the top, whose edge is flat and provided with a small oval spout. The cruet rests on a plain, unglazed pedestal, with a domed base. It is fitted with a thin vertical handle. Its upper end is folded down and rests on the neck; its lower end rests on the wall, and has a small oval-shaped tail. The body is beige and the glaze white; the decoration is hand-painted in cobalt blue, underglaze. It is of the oriental lambrequin type. The decoration is found on the neck, wall and handle. The decoration on the neck features a flower in the center, trifoliate leaves arranged in a cross under the spout, and acanthus leaves on the sides. The decoration on the wall, below the spout, is a mantling in the shape of a Ruyi head against a blue background, decorated in reserve with scrolls and a half-flower, and edged with leaves. The sides are adorned with acanthus leaves and a group of four diamond-shaped crosses. The front of the handle is decorated with superimposed horizontal lines, while the sides are adorned with pearls. The decoration is slightly diffuse.