Small celadon-glazed porcelain brush-washer on three feet, China, probably Longquan kilns, Ming period; converted into an inkwell in 19th-century Europe with Louis XV-style gilt bronze mounts. A hinged, openwork cover with rocaille decoration lifts to reveal another cover that hermetically seals the inkwell. At the base, another rocaille-style bronze mounting in which the three small feet of the shell are set. H. with mounts: 10.5 cm Pierced, cracks. Minor restorations to the gold lacquer on the rim of the shell suggest that, before being transformed into an inkwell, it was probably part of a Japanese collection.