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231
638089

A pair of blanc de chine 'Trick cups', Qing dynasty.

Estimate
6 000 - 8 000 SEK
564 - 753 EUR
608 - 811 USD
Hammer price
11 000 SEK
Purchasing info
For condition report contact specialist
Cecilia Nordström
Stockholm
Cecilia Nordström
Senior specialist Asian Ceramics and Works of Art, European Ceramics and Glass
+46 (0)739 40 08 02
A pair of blanc de chine 'Trick cups', Qing dynasty.

In the center the standing figure of Buddai. Lenght 8 cm, height 4,5 cm.

One restored. Cracks.

Literature

Compare similar cups from the Hatcher Cargo dating from around 1640's.

More information

Trick Cups or Gong Dao Bei (dont be greedy cuporfairness cup`) were wine cups where the wine would drain over the lap of heavy drinker. They illustrate the classical Chinese paradigm that modesty brings gain and arrogance results in loss. If you fill the cup to the top, taking more than your share, every drop will drain out onto your lap through a hole in the bottom, but if you are modest and only fill the cup half full you will be able to drink normally. The earliest cups of this type were made during the Song Dynasty (960-1279) but most are 18th or 19th century.