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Stem Cup

Xuande era, 1426-1435

China, Jiangxi Province

Porcelain painted with underglaze cobalt blue (Jingdezhen ware)

H. 3 1/2 x Diam. 4 in. (8.9 x 10.2 cm)

Asia Society, New York: Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection, 1979.163

While objects decorated with five-clawed dragons were reserved for the use of the imperial family during the Ming dynasty, those with four claws, such as the powerful and assured dragon painted in underglaze blue on this small stem cup, were used by nobility of lower rank. The cup, made of a refined porcelain clay, is neither very thick nor extremely thin. The black spots in the cobalt and pale sea-green tinge in the otherwise transparent glaze are typical of Chinese blue-and-white wares of the Yongle, Xuande, and Chenghua eras. A six-character Xuande reign mark is written in the bottom of the interior of this cup.