A RARE PAIR OF FAMILLE-VERTE 'ROMANCE OF THE WESTERN CHAMBER' CUPS KANGXI MARKS AND PERIOD |

each finely potted, of beaker form, supported on a tall straight foot, the steep, gently flaring sides rising to an everted rim, the exterior superbly enameled with an animated continuous scene featuring the warrior monk Huiming; one depicting the young scholar Zhang Sheng, standing in a long green robe, a bald-headed monk to either side and the elegantly attired Yingying and her attendant Hongnian observing from the background, bidding farewell to the bare chested monk, dashing off, staff in hand, seeking aid from General Du against the rebellious troops; the other illustrating a victorious moment as Huiming, robes flying in the wind, running alongside General Du, depicted sitting astride a galloping steed with arms raised preparing to throw a long lance, in pursuit of the fleeing rebel Sun Feihu, the recessed base with a six-character mark in underglaze blue within a double circle, wood stands (4)

Collection of Sidney T. Cook (1910-1964), and thence by descent. 

Both cups are in good condition. One with a minute kiln adhesion and associated faint speckling to the interior; the other with two minute glaze abrasions to the interior. Please note that this lot includes a stand, frame or other component made from a type of Chinese hardwood, which, if exported, will require a CITES permit to leave the United States.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

This pair of cups is an outstanding example of the high level of skill of porcelain artists working at Jingdezhen in the Kangxi period. Despite the small surface of the cups, the craftsman has successfully captured the drama of the scenes, which are taken from woodblock print illustrations and rendered in a famille-verte palette. A sense of dynamism is captured through the use of outlines which have been drawn in swift yet fine strokes, and attention is cleverly drawn to the central scene by rendering the figures in iron red.

The cups depict a scene from the play Xixiangji (Romance of the Western Chamber) compiled by Wang Shifu (1260-1336). In style the illustration echoes the celebrated works of the painter Chen Hongshou (1598-1652), who created multiple woodblock prints of the play from 1630. Scenes from popular literature are rarely found on Kangxi imperial porcelains, particularly on small vessels such as these cups. It is possible that a small group of wares were decorated with such narrative designs as another means of consolidating his right to the throne as a foreign ruler. Kangxi is known to have worked incessantly to understand China’s history, culture and achievements to gain and retain the respect necessary to rule over a predominantly Han-Chinese elite. Further small porcelain vessels decorated with figural scenes from literature include a cup also depicting a passage from Xixiangji, illustrated in Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, vol. 4, pt. II, London, 2010, pl. 1740, sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 4th April 2012, lot 51; and a bowl rendered with a scene from the 14th century drama Han gong qiu (Autumn of the Han Palace) composed by Ma Zhiyuan (1250-1321), from the collection of Allen J. Mercher, sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 6th April 2016, lot 3008.

With its narrow foot and tall flared sides, cups of this form were first created in the Jiajing reign (1522-1566) and produced in a small number during the Kangxi period with various designs; a doucai cup with mountains and river, in the Palace Museum, Beijing, is published in Qingdai yuyao ciqi, vol. 1, pt. 1, Beijing, 2005, pl. 76; and another decorated with a landscape in underglaze blue, in the Shanghai Museum, Shanghai, is illustrated in Kangxi Porcelain Wares from the Shanghai Museum Collection, Shanghai, 1998, pl. 29. For the Jiajing prototype, see one painted with rams in cobalt, included in the exhibition The Fame of Flame. Imperial Wares of the Jiajing and Wanli Periods, Art Gallery, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 2009, cat. no. 12; and a yellow-glazed version of larger size, from the Sir Percival David collection and now in the British Museum, London, included in Illustrated Catalogue of Ming and Qing Monochrome Wares in the Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art, London, 1989, no. A 595.