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Wine Cup

Chenghua era, 1465-1487

China, Jiangxi Province

Porcelain painted with underglaze cobalt blue and overglaze enamels (Jingdezhen ware)

H. 1 7/8 x Diam. 2 7/8 in. (4.8 x 7.3 cm)

Asia Society, New York: Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection, 1979.175

Noted for their thin bodies and elegant shapes, porcelains made during the reign of the Chenghua emperor (reigned 1465 - 1487) are ranked among the finest examples of imperial Chinese wares. The use of the doucai ("joined colors") technique to decorate this small wine cup with a design of dragons in floral medallions illustrates a technology that was developed in the Xuande era (1426 - 1435). In the doucai method, the outline of the design is drawn under the glaze using cobalt blue. After the vessel is fired, enamels are painted over the glaze to color in and finish the designs. A second firing fixes the enamel. On this cup, delicate shades of blue, green, red, and yellow have been used. The overglaze colors match the underglaze outlines perfectly; the precision needed for this type of decoration made them very difficult and expensive to produce. Most ceramics decorated in the doucai method are small, perhaps owning to their costliness.