Untitled

Unknown

18th century · Porcelain with applied decoration (Dehua ware) · Asian Art

This small cup, most likely intended for use on a scholar’s desk, is in the shape of a rhinoceros horn, a material that was widely used at the court and among the literati from the seventeenth to the nineteenth century. The cup is decorated with appliquéd designs that include a slumped figure on one side, which may allude to the famous poet Li Bai (701–762), and on the other, a mythical qilin gazing at the moon.

Artist

Unknown

Date

18th century

Medium

Porcelain with applied decoration (Dehua ware)

Culture

China

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Gift of Gilbert Ireland, 2012