Page 30 - Important Chinese Art Hong Kong April 2, 2019 Sotheby's

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A RARE WUCAI ‘FISH’ CUP 明萬曆 五彩青花魚藻紋盌
MARK AND PERIOD OF WANLI
《大明萬曆年製》款
the low rounded sides rising from a short
tapering foot to a gently flaring rim, decorated
to the exterior with blue fish swimming amidst
waterweeds and aquatic plants rendered in red,
yellow and green enamels, the interior painted
in cobalt blue with a central dragon medallion
encircled by five stylised cloud scrolls, inscribed
to the base with a six-character reign mark
within a double circle
10.5 cm, 4⅛ in.

HK$ 600,000-800,000
US$ 76,500-102,000
This cup is remarkable for its lively depiction
of four fish rendered in a range of flowing
brushstrokes and loose washes to evoke
an aquatic scene. A sense of movement is
captured through the different poses of the
fish and the swaying of the aquatic plants
that appear as if bending with the flow of the
currents.
Cups painted with this design are unusual;
compare a Wanli mark and period bowl with
fish in waterweeds, but the fish painted in iron
red, in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated
in The Complete Collection of Treasures of
the Palace Museum. Porcelains in Polychrome
and Contrasting Colours, Hong Kong, 1999, pl.
54. Compare also a similar cup sold at Osaka
Bijutsu Club, Osaka, 3rd/4th June 1931, lot 293,
from the Toseikan collection.

Interior