English: Sugar casters

1690-1715, Kangxi reign period
China, Jingdezhen
Porcelain, decorated in underglaze cobalt blue

In its form this intriguing object seems to imitate a European sugar caster. There is no mechanism, however, to fix the lid to the body, making it useless as a container for shaking sugar. Two interpretations come to mind. The first is that it was made as a purely decorative item to stand on a shelf. Europeans loved blue-and-white porcelain from China and ordered all sorts of objects to ornament their homes. The second is that there was an error during manufacture. Chinese potters had probably never seen western sugar casters and did not understand their function. They were, on the other hand, familiar with another kind of vessel with a pierced lid, the incense burner. Incense burners, like this vessel, had lids that did not need to be attached to their lower sections.

By the late 17th century large quantities of sugar were being shipped from the West Indies to England. Wealthy people served this luxury product from beautiful vessels made of silver or porcelain.