Double gourd bottle
Not on view
The enormous influx of porcelain from Asia into Mexico gave rise to local imitations. The 1682 ordinances of the potter’s guild of Puebla, the most important center of domestic ceramic production, stipulate that the finest grade of pottery must imitate that of China and be painted in "bright blue." Puebla artisans also imitated the distinctive shapes of Chinese wares, as seen here, producing high-shouldered vases and jars as well as more unusual vessels like double-gourd-shaped bottles.