This tankard has a ribbon in relief tied around the mid-section, and a handle in the form of a 'chi' dragon, a type of dragon with bifurcated tail that appeared much earlier on 'qingbai' wares from Jingdezhen. It probably takes its form from the European mug, which was commissioned in various forms for export to Europe where they were used for drinking coffee and hot chocolate.The name qingbai alludes to the bluish-tinged glaze that covered the white ceramic body of these vessels.Dehua, located on the southeast coast of Fujian province, is well known for its production of white porcelain, known to Europeans as 'blanc de Chine'. The earliest Dehua porcelain was produced as early as the 14th century but the production and quality of these porcelain peaked around the 17th and 18th centuries.
