This work represents the clever adaptation of the shape of a melon with a few leaves to create a pitcher, suggested only by the spout and handle. The fine clay and lustrous glaze indicates that this is a masterpiece of Ting ware from the early Northern Sung. Similar shapes, often with insects or animals, have been excavated from Liao dynasty tombs in the north, because the Ting kilns were located in the area occupied by the Sung and Liao during the mid-10th c. The Khitans of the Liao dynasty admired Chinese culture, and fine Ting ware was prized by the Liao nobility, who even went to the extreme of capturing Ting ceramists in order to reproduce the ware. Liao artisans also excelled at metalwork, leatherwork, and molding, which may also have inspired Ting ceramists.