This small blue-splashed ‘zhadou’ or spittoon incorporates a rare blue glaze that would have been imported into China from Persia. Glazes had only recently appeared in Chinese pottery, replacing the earlier practice of painting directly onto the fired terracotta (see ‘Pair of Hares’).

This squat globular spittoon incorporates a small foot and a waisted neck rising to an upturned dish mouth. It is covered in a straw glaze and decorated with spots. The shape started appearing at the beginning of the Tang dynasty and the vessel would have functioned as a ‘spittoon’ (to spit the tea out into) during a tea ceremony. Very small examples such as this would also have served to collect used tea leaves.