Ming Chenghua Period Doucai Stem Cup With Bird‑and‑Flower Motif

拍品描述

Dimensions：H.8.2cm，Diam.7cm Condition & Provenance：Fully intact, no cracks or chips. Enamels and glaze well‑preserved with natural aged patina. Old soil patina on unglazed stem foot. No modern restoration, no chemical cleaning. From private collection of S·E, Princeton, New Jersey, USA. Acquired in 2015, family inheritance under climate‑controlled storage, never appeared in public auction or museum exhibition. Description：This is an imperial Doucai stem cup for palace wine use, dating to the Chenghua reign of Ming dynasty. Wide opening, curved bowl body, rising to a slender hollow stem with splayed foot. Elegant upright form with fine thin white porcelain body. Interior plain with lustrous white glaze. Exterior fully decorated with Doucai bird‑and‑fruit scene. Gnarled branches bear abundant fruits and lush leaves, two colourful birds perch on twigs rendered in iron‑red, yellow and blue enamels with lifelike expression. Outlines are drawn in underglaze‑blue, filled with iron‑red, green and yellow enamels in vivid well‑layered palette. Soft pale cobalt blue and refined enamel application represent the hallmark craftsmanship of Chenghua Doucai. Six‑character reign mark “Da Ming Cheng Hua Nian Zhi” in regular script is inscribed inside the stem. Stem cups are classic Ming drinking vessels, surviving Doucai bird‑and‑flower examples are rare. The motif carries auspicious meaning of good tidings and fruitful harvest. This is a remarkable imperial porcelain with great historical and collectible value.

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