AN EXTREMELY RARE AND FINE SMALL BLUE AND WHITE WINECUP MARK AND PERIOD OF CHENGHUA

THIS IS A PREMIUM LOT. CLIENTS WHO WISH TO BID ON PREMIUM LOTS ARE REQUESTED TO COMPLETE THE PREMIUM LOT PRE-REGISTRATION 3 WORKING DAYS PRIOR TO THE SALE.

finely potted with rounded sides resting on a countersunk base, delicately painted in characteristic soft tones of cobalt-blue in outlines infilled with wash, the exterior with six evenly spaced flowering gardenia sprigs, each with a single bloom enclosed by clustered leaves, the interior left undecorated except for a medallion to the centre enclosing an open bloom encircled by seven radial leaves, the base inscribed with the six-character mark within a double square, all beneath an unctous glaze fired to a waxy finish 

Sotheby's Hong Kong, 24th November 1981, lot 69.

 

The Leshantang Collection of Chinese Porcelain, Taipei, 2005, cat.no. 8.

The cup is in excellent condition. There is a tiny pinprick to the interior, and another to the rim.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Chenghua porcelains remain the rarest of all Ming imperial wares, and the present cup is a fine example of the delicacy and soft tones that characterised the relatively small items of the period. There are only a total of about 650 extant examples of Chenghua mark and period wares, with more than half being preserved in the National Palace Museum, Taiwan, and only a small number remaining in private hands. The number of different patterns is very limited, and of every pattern only a few examples remain. This scarcity of surviving pieces is due in the first place to limited production figures, but at the same time to the extremely high standards set by the imperial kilns for a piece to pass the rigorous quality controls.

While Ming imperial porcelains of the 15^th century represent undoubtedly a peak of quality, beauty and inventiveness in the history of Chinese ceramics, Chenghua porcelain stands out, among other things, for the smooth and superbly tactile quality of its glaze, which has never been matched in other periods. The pleasing touch of the surface of a Chenghua piece is one of the rare additional delights to the senses beyond their sheer aesthetic beauty.

Only two other complete cups of this design appear to be extant besides fragments recovered at the Ming imperial kiln site at Jingdezhen. One companion piece, from the Qing court collection, is published in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum Collection, Blue and White Porcelain with Underglazed Red, vol. II, Beijing, 2000, pl. 36; the other, in the Shanghai Museum, is illustrated in Wang Qing-zheng, Underglaze Blue and Red, Shanghai, 1987, col. pl. 77. For a fragmentary example from the kiln site, see Yuan and Ming's Imperial Porcelains Unearthed in Jingdezhen, Beijing, 1999, cat. no. 308.

A doucai cup of same shape and size, with four elaborate flower sprays under a double-line underglaze blue border, is illustrated in Rosemary Scott and Stacey Pierson Flawless Porcelains: Imperial Ceramics from the Reign of the Chenghua Emperor, London, 1995, no. 38; and another in Everlasting Chenghua Porcelain, Taipei, 2003, p. 40.