Water pot in form of a frog

During the period of the Three Kingdoms and Western Jin dynasty (220-316), ceramics produced at the Yue kilns of northern China were popularly potted in the form of lively animals. The rare frog-shaped water pot is an outstanding example of this kind. It shows an ovoid body with a slightly everted foot-rim enclosing a flat base. The frog, applied to the water pot's body in high relief, has a tight mouth, open and protruding eyes and squatting legs. On its back is a circular opening with a low mouth rim in a roped form. The body is decorated with small impressed circles and applied medallions. A transparent green glaze covers the surface of the pot, stopping unevenly above the foot. The water pot demonstrates that green glazed stoneware reached new heights in quality and complexity in the Western Jin.