tea container - Porcelain - China - Guangxu (1875-1908)

Cylindrical box with a white and blue porcelain lid, used as a tea caddy or as a container for tobacco and herbs. It features a hand-painted under-glass decoration in cobalt blue depicting a classic Chinese river-and-mountain landscape (Shan Shui), complete with small pavilions (pagodas), trees, and boats. This style of motifs is typical of Canton or Nanking, intended for both the domestic market and export. In the upper corners you can notice the characteristic cockroach bites; having been produced in rural kilns, the glaze coverage is uneven at the corners.