Blue-and-white Cup with the Design of Lions Playing with Balls in the Bottom

This is a new style of cup developed at Jingdezhen imperial kilns during the Yongle reign (1403-1424). The thick wall, the flared mouth, and the low position of the center of gravity of the cup together create a sense of pressure as one holds it with the space between the thumb and the index finger. Thus, it is also known as a “press-hand cup” (yashou bei). In the center of the interior bottom painted a pair of lions playing with an embroidered ball, inside which a four-character Yongle reign mark is inscribed in seal script (zhuan shu). The motif of lions playing with a ball symbolizes peace and auspiciousness. This is one of the four extant press-hand cups with Yongle reign mark, which are all in the collections of the Palace Museum.