Creative Commons License
Cup
(China )
This cup is an example of export porcelain from China to Europe. While the porcelain body and underglaze cobalt blue designs are original, later additions such as a fluted silver gilt rim and the red and gold overglaze enamels can be attributed to a European painter in the style of Chinese decorative motifs. Bands of Ruyi heads aligned on the upper rim and along the bottom of the cup are a traditional pattern utilized in Chinese blue and white porcelain; the heart shaped motifs depict the curved head of the ruyi scepter, a symbol of monastic authority in Buddhism. Flowers and foliated designs are painted in the space between the two bands. The cup consists of a tapered cylindrical body standing upon a round foot rim.
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object.
William T. Walters, Baltimore [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; inherited by Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1894; by bequest to Walters Art Museum, 1931.
Geographies
China (Place of Origin)
Measurements
H: 2 5/8 in. (6.7 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by William T. Walters
Location in Museum
Not on view
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
49.630