The lotus leaf basin is like a curly lotus leaf, with the mouth rim waving up and down, turning inward or outward. The mouth rim is chipped, and patched with gold, looking like an incomplete lotus leaf. The overall basin is celadon glazed, in fresh green color. The veins of the lotus leaf depicted on the inner wall are clearly visible, while on the outer wall the leaf veins are manifested through rough and uneven chine lines. On the bottom, there are nine support pin burning points around the rounded base, with no inscription.

There are two categories of basins by shape. The larger ones were originally used as washbasins, while smaller ones could serve as brush washers used in studies, and the lotus leaf basin herein is for this purpose. As one of the literati’s treasures, brush washers are supposed to be of ornamental value. In Ming and Qing Dynasties, refined things in studies enjoyed the most popularity among the intellectuals, and these articles were superior to those in previous times in all aspects, such classification, materials and making. The shape of a lotus leaf fits well with the function of basins. A large number of lotus leaf basins were treasured in the Forbidden City (Palace Museum). Empeoro Qianlong Emperor even wrote a poem to “chant Hetian jade lotus leaf basins”, which also proved that lotus leaf basins were more than welcomed at that time.