Museum Updates
Rare celadon kundika with an elephant head-shaped spout
Updated: Jun 16, 2026
China Bound
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Can you spot the tiny elephant on this celadon kundika? This elegant vessel of the Hongzhou kiln from the Sui Dynasty (581-618) features a unique elephant head-shaped spout with an upraised trunk on its shoulder. Used in Buddhism as a water container, it is the earliest known celadon kundika discovered in China so far.
Unearthed in Nanchang, Jiangxi province in 1975, the piece is now housed at the Jiangxi Provincial Museum.
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