Two thin-necked dragons bite symmetrically into the rim of this round-bodied ewer, creating its handles. The ewer probably dates from the Tang dynasty, archaeological findings from the tombs of which often reveal pairs of ewers. Some scholars speculate that the ewers were among the 'mingqi' (funeral goods) popular in the early 7th to mid 8th centuries in today's Shaanxi and Henan provinces. The shape of such ewers may derive from Greek amphora, with Chinese potters modifying the design by adding dragon heads for the handles. In the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), Chinese intellectuals often placed similar amphora in their studies, sometimes using them as ink containers. By the Qing dynasty (1644-1911) the famous kilns of Jingdezhen were making reproductions of such vessels glazed in blue and white and polychrome enamels.