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Wine Cup with Children at Play
Unknown maker (China), 1465–87
This delicate cup was made in Jingdezhen, in Jiangxi province, in the Chenghua period, 1465 to 1487, of the Ming dynasty. At only about 4.8 centimetres high, it shows free, spontaneous drawing and a balanced layout on a tiny surface.
The Cleveland Museum of Art explains how it was made. The motifs were outlined in cobalt blue, then the piece was glazed and fired in the usual way for blue-and-white ware. After firing, the outline painting was completed with coloured enamels over the glaze, and the cup was fired a second time. This type is called doucai, meaning joined colours.
The decoration is refined and complicated, and the porcelain is very thin, translucent and light.
From the museum record
| Artist | Unknown maker (China) |
|---|---|
| Date | 1465–87 |
| Medium | Porcelain with underglaze blue and overglaze enamel decoration, docai ("joined colors") ware |
| Size | Overall: 4.8 cm |
| Museum | The Cleveland Museum of Art |
| Credit line | John L. Severance Fund |
| Accession number | 1957.61 |
| Licence | Open Access (CC0) |
Source: The Cleveland Museum of Art collection record. Facts such as dates, sizes and credit lines come from that record. The write-up above was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the museum record and standard references. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
