Auction Information

Description

The chicken jar cup, also known as the wine filled small cup decorated with a picture of a rooster and a hen, depicts a rooster and a hen leading their chicks to search for food. Its colors are vibrant and vivid, soothing it like jade. Its paintings are even more sincere and charming, making it a masterpiece. For hundreds of years, it has enjoyed a great reputation, from the palace to the people, and is admired by the world. It is a coveted item for Chinese porcelain collectors. During the Chenghua era, porcelain was constantly striving for excellence with limited quantity and quality. Today, genuine Chenghua products are even more difficult to obtain, and only the other three chicken jar cups still have private collections, like rare and rare. In the past, the Chenghua Chicken Bowl Auction was led by Sotheby's, first seen in the 1960s, followed by two more in the 1970s, three in the 1980s, and only one in the 1990s (current auction). It has since disappeared and is now rare to see it again. The Chenghua Chicken Bowl Cup is meticulously crafted in terms of material, shaping, painting, and kiln firing, reaching the pinnacle of the world and a precious treasure from ancient times. The mystery of the chicken jar cup goes beyond that. For a hundred years of spring and autumn, it has been cherished and praised by emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties, as well as literati of the Ming Dynasty. The chicken jar cup has long been extraordinary and can be called a legend of Chinese porcelain, immortal. During the reign of Emperor Xianzong, the imperial kiln factory achieved the pinnacle of porcelain firing and exquisite craftsmanship. In the early and middle stages of the Chenghua period, Jingdezhen took the example of skillful craftsmanship and excellent porcelain under the rule of the previous emperor, with a particular emphasis on promoting high moral standards. By the end of the year, unique and technologically advanced products such as chicken jars and cups were first seen. Liu Xinyuan and Cai Hebi both agree with this argument and refer to their two important articles on Chenghua porcelain (Liu Xinyuan, "Research on Ming Chenghua Official Kiln Ruins and Relics Excavated in Jingdezhen", published in the exhibition catalog "Chengyao Relics: Chenghua Official Kiln Porcelain Excavated in Zhushan, Jingdezhen", Xu's Art Museum, Hong Kong, 1993, pp. 18-87, and Cai Hebi, "Inherited Chenghua Porcelain", Taipei, 2003). Although the two did not reach a consensus on the exact time and reason for firing the new product, they both pointed to the beloved Consort Wan. In the 21st year of the Chenghua reign (1485), the Imperial Kiln Factory spent a huge amount of money, and there was a record of dissuading the firing of porcelain. This is the production year of such treasures, which should be around ten years before the 21st year. Cheng Kiln is known for its late period porcelain, which is often small and quiet. At first glance, it may seem humble and not designed for display, but it is easy to play with in the palm. Only by appreciating and caressing the exquisite pieces can one truly appreciate the essence behind it. At that time, the court had strict monitoring and meticulous requirements for the imperial kiln factory. It is not surprising that the quality of Chenghua porcelain has greatly improved compared to the previous dynasty. It is truly rare for a craftsman to be able to draw such sincere patterns under such circumstances. Porcelain painting decoration, lacking a few points of the usual neatness and restraint seen in previous dynasties, but adding a few points of unprecedented elegance and softness. Liu Xinyuan believes that the Chenghua era is modeled after the ink of Emperor Xianzong during his youth, while the commonly seen two sided box designs on Doucai are innovative in the late Chenghua period.