AN EXCEPTIONALLY RARE AND FINE WHITE-GLAZED 'LINGZHI' CUP YONGZHENG MARK AND PERIOD |

delicately potted, the steep, tapering sides rising to a slightly flaring rim, the exterior applied with exquisitely incised white-slip decoration of a delicately meandering stem issuing leafy sprays and four lingzhi heads wreathed by curling leaves, the recessed base inscribed with a six-character mark in underglaze blue

Collection of Stephen Junkunc, III (d. 1978).

The cup is in good condition. There is some slight pale brownish-gray staining to the stem on the exterior.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Small cups of this type are extremely rare, this form more often having been decorated with anhua incised dragons or covered in lemon yellow or other enamels. For a dragon-decorated cup in the Palace Museum, Beijing, see Geng Baochang, ed., Gugong Bowuyuan cang Qingdai yuyao ciqi [Porcelains from the Qing dynasty imperial kilns in the Palace Museum collection], Beijing, 2005, vol. I, part 2, pl. 8. See also a slightly larger pair of undecorated white cups from the Meiyintang Collection sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 7th April 2011, lot 26.