Page 138 - Wolly & Wallace, July 1, 2020 Chinese Works of Art UK

163
A CHINESE IMPERIAL WUCAI ‘APRICOT BLOSSOM’ MONTH CUP
SIX CHARACTER JIAQING MARK AND OF THE PERIOD 1796-1820
The deep flaring body finely painted with a blossoming apricot tree growing amidst rocks and shrubs, the reverse
with a poem reading qing xiang he su yu, jia se chu qing yan, the inscription followed by a seal reading shang (‘to
appreciate’), 6.7cm dia.
£4,000-6,000
Provenance: from a deceased estate, Dorset, purchased from Artemesia, Alresford on 18th December 1997 for £200.
A copy of the invoice is available.
Cf. The British Museum, London, registration no.PDF.815 for a complete set of twelve month cups from the Kangxi
period; see also Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 4th April 2012, lot 3179 for another Jiaqing mark and period cup of the
same design.
Apricot blossoms are associated with the second month in the lunar calendar. As the civil service examinations were
held at this time of year, apricot blossoms are regarded as the ‘flowers for passing exams’ and successful candidates were
invited to a banquet held in the Imperial gardens called ‘the spring banquet in the apricot grove’. The couplet is from a
poem by Tang dynasty poet Qian Qi (710-780 AD) and may be translated as ‘Its elegant fragrance blends with the scent
of overnight rain, its beautiful colour stands out in the morning mist.’
清嘉慶 五彩二月杏花花神詩文杯
銘文：清香和宿雨，佳色出晴煙。賞。
《大清嘉慶年製》青花篆書款
來源：多切斯特郡遺產，1997年12月18日以£200的價格購於Artemesia， Artemesia invoice
Alresford（附發票）。 18th December 1997

136 See paragraphs 4 & 5 of our conditions of business at the back of the catalogue for additional charges on the final hammer prices