A Black and Red Painted Lacquer 'Ear Cup' Warring States Period

of elliptical form, with deep rounded sides supported on a flat base, flanked by a pair of 'butterfly-wing' shaped ears set at a low angle, the exterior, ears and interior rim lacquered in black with red-painted specks on the handles and rim and stylized bird’s heads on the interior mouth, the interior lacquered in red

2000 Years of Chinese Lacquer. Oriental Ceramic Society of Hong Kong and the Art Gallery, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 1993, cat. no. 2.
Layered Beauty: The Baoyizhai Collection of Chinese Lacquer, Art Museum, Institute of Chinese Studies, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 2010, cat. no. 2.

The wooden core has decayed and has been replaced with a polymer fill. The body and handles are warped as visible in the catalogue illustration and there are a few brakes or cracks that have been secured. A section of one 'ear' handle has broken off and been re-affixed. There are areas of retouching to the lacquers on the interior and along the edges to fill in cracks or flakes. The overall condition is otherwise remarkably good.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Lacquer ear cups of this elliptical shape with angular or crescent-moon form handles were made from the Warring States period to the fifth century. They are known in three main forms, those with rectangular ears, those with round ears and those with a stem-foot. It is noted in 2000 Years of Chinese Lacquer, Hong Kong, 1993, p. 28, that 'ear cups' with rectangular handles appeared in the 5^th century B.C. and were no longer used during the Han dynasty; ones with round or crescent-moon shaped ears, as the present cup, were used during the Warring States period; and vessels with a tall stem-foot were always constructed with rectangular ears and are also attributable to the Warring States. Amongst cups of this kind, the relatively tall body, the elongated elliptical mouth, and the butterfly-wing shaped angular ears with a pronounced indentation are all characteristics found in wares from the mid Warring States period, suggesting an early attribution to this delicate piece. Known in Chinese as bei or yushang, cups of this type were used for drinking wine, as well as for holding small edibles (xiaochi) presented at banquets. 

A slightly shorter but wider cup of this type, similarly painted in red on the inside and black on the outside, is illustrated ibid., pl. 2; two slightly larger examples are published in Zhongguo qiqi quanji, vol. 2, Fuzhou, 1997, pls. 26-27, both in the Jingmen City Museum in Hubei province;  and two further cups of this type, excavated from a tomb in Wangshan, Jiangling, Hubei province, were included in the exhibition Lacquer from the Warring States to the Han Periods Excavated in Hubei Province, Art Gallery, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1994, cat. nos. 3-4.

For the inspiration of this this type of vessel, see a cup attributed to the late Eastern Zhou dynasty, said to be from Changsha in Hunan province and now in the Freer Gallery in Washington D.C. published in Urushi, Tokyo, 1988, fig. 1-2.