Urn-shaped Cup with Chicken Design in Contrasting Colors

Period: Chenghua reign (1465-1487), Ming dynasty (1368-1644)

The cup has a slightly flaring mouth, a tapering body and a concave foot. The polychrome design depicts hens and their babies pecking in a garden. From the Chinese rose and orchids growing around the garden rocks, we know that the time is early spring. No glaze was applied around the concave foot. At the center of the foot, the mark “Made in Chenghua reign of the Great Ming”(Da Ming Chenghua nian zhi) was inscribed in two vertical lines.
The cup is noted for its squared-off contour, lovely decoration, and translucent thinness. The application of contrasting colors follows the style of Huang Quan (ca. 903-965), a court painter in the Five dynasties (906-960).
The cup was made in the imperial kiln in the “ceramic capital” Jingdezhen in southeastern China’s Jiangxi province. According to historical documents, it was made as one of a pair. Its unique shape made it a masterpiece of the Chenghua reign. Admiration for the cups inspired reproductions in subsequent centuries including today. In the Qing dynasty (1644-1911), those made during the Kangxi reign (1662-1722) were virtually identical.