A RARE DOUCAI CUP MARK AND PERIOD OF KANGXI |

thinly potted with deep rounded sides rising from a concave base, the exterior delicately painted with bright enamels within an underglaze-blue outline, one side depicting Su Jin kneeling on a mat beside three large jars with an open sutra and a wine cup before him, his hands clasped in prayers to a figure of Budai on a red square table before a three-fold screen, the reverse similarly painted with plantain growing from pierced rocks and inscribed with a poem followed by a square seal reading shang, the base with a six-character reign mark within a double circle

Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 15th November 1983, lot 296.
Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 15th May 1990, lot 280.
Collection of Mary Porter Walsh.
Christie’s New York, 26th March 2010, lot 1397.

The piece is in overall good condition. There is a minute flake under the rim on the exterior and minor kiln flakes to the footring.
"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."

The present cup is painted with a charming scene of Su Jin, one of the immortals featured in the famous poem, The Eight Immortals of the Wine Cup by the eminent Tang dynasty poet Du Fu (712-770). It depicts Su Jin kneeling in prayer before a figure of Budai, as recounted in his stanza within the poem:

Su Jin, the religious, cleanses his soul 
Before his painted Buddha. 
But his long rites must needs be interrupted 
As oft he loves to go on a spree. 

Although the subjects of this Tang dynasty poem were contemporaries, fellow scholars and poets, of Du Fu, their elite literati status elevated them to the immortality of the title. The poem describes the rambunctious overindulgence of each of the eight 'immortals' as they participate in revelry to escape from everyday concerns, transcend the material world and gain entrance to a realm of artistic inspiration.

This poem was illustrated in paintings from at least the Yuan dynasty (1279-1368), appearing on a handscroll dated to 1363 by Zhang Wo (active c. 1340-1365), and offered at Christie’s Hong Kong, May 2008, lot 1201. It also featured on porcelain during the Shunzhi reign (r. 1644-1661), although it was most popular during the Kangxi reign (r. 1662-1722).

Blue and white versions of the cup, also with Kangxi reign marks and of the period, include one, from the T. Bushell collection, sold twice in these rooms, 22nd May 1979, lot 162, and 19th May 1987, lot 266, from the T.Y. Chao collection, and a third time at Christie’s Hong Kong, 1st December 2009, lot 1895; another sold twice in these rooms, 21st May 1985, lot 110, and 13th November 1990, lot 1, from the Goldschmidt collection; and a third sold in our New York rooms, 28th November 1994, lot 334. Compare also a famille-verte version sold in these rooms, 15th November 1983, lot 296.