Page 22 - 2020 September 22 Kangxi Porcelain Asia Week NYC

9/2/2020 Kangxi Porcelain – A Private Collection | Sotheby's

Kangxi Porcelain – A Private Collection
New York |22 Sep 2020 | 09:00 AM EDT

Lot 112

A PAIR OF DOUCAI 'CHICKEN' CUPS, QING DYNASTY, KANGXI PE RIOD
Estimate: 80,000 - 120,000 USD

A PAIR OF DOUCAI 'CHICKEN' CUPS
QING DYNASTY, KANGXI PERIOD
清康熙 鬥彩雞缸盃一對 《大明成化年製》仿款

each finely potted, rising from a flat base to gently flaring sides, delicately painted with two scenes of a cockerel and hen with
three chicks, divided by sprays of peonies and bamboo amidst rockwork, all between line borders, the recessed base with an
apocryphal six-character Chenghua mark in underglaze blue within a double square (2)

Diameter 2⅜ in., 6.1 cm

Catalogue Note
This delicate pair of cups are inspired by the famous ‘chicken cups’ of the Chenghua period (1465-1487). Unmatched in their level
of craftsmanship, Chenghua porcelain, and in particular enameled wares, were among the most coveted objects of the Ming
dynasty (1368-1644). They were considered rare and expensive already in the Wanli reign (r. 1572-1620) and their value rose even
further during the Kangxi period, as mentioned in several contemporary texts. For example, Liu Tingji (active c. 1700-1725), the
deputy assistant of Lang Tingji (1663-1715), the governor of Jiangxi, noted, ‘As for Chenghua… the price of a pair of chicken cups is
100 pieces of gold and they are difficult to purchase’ (see The Emperor’s Broken China. Reconstructing Chenghua Porcelain,
Sotheby’s, London, 1995, p. 18). The exceptional rarity and popularity of Chenghua ‘chicken cups’ encouraged their reproduction
in the Qing dynasty. During the Kangxi reign, ‘chicken cups’ were made either with Kangxi reign marks or with spurious Chenghua
marks, and with designs that closely followed the prototypes.

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