A rare iron-red 'crane' cup, Mark and period of Jiajing 明嘉靖 礬紅彩開光壽鶴紋盃 《嘉靖年製》款

Small vessels decorated entirely in the iron red palette from the Jiajing reign are rare and exquisite gems of the period. A Jiajing iron-red cup of a slightly different shape, but similarly decorated with cranes within cartouches, was sold in our London rooms 13th December 1977, lot 45. Compare also an iron-red and underglaze-blue ‘dragon’ cup from the Huaihaitang collection, included in the exhibition Enlightening Elegance. Imperial Porcelain of the Mid to Late Ming, Art Museum, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 2012, cat. no. 76.

 

小巧玲瓏之嘉靖礬紅彩瓷乃當朝珍品，甚為罕見。參照一紋飾相若之臥足盃例，售於倫敦蘇富比1977年12月13日，編號45。另見一懷海堂藏青花礬紅龍紋盃，曾展於《機暇明道：懷海堂藏明代中晚期官窰瓷器》，香港中文大學文物館，香港，2012年，編號76。