Plum-blossom-shaped cup with celadon glaze, Longquan ware, Southern Song dynasty, 13th century-China Archive

Image Number: K1B017413N000000000PAB
Dynasty: Southern Song dynasty
Category: Ceramics
Function: Dietetic apparatus
Material: Minerals/Ceramics/
Description:
Five petal flower cup with copper clasp embedded along the mouth. The arched deep wall has a hard and thin fetal texture. The inner peripheral wall has five ridges following the Wuhuakou protrusion, and the corresponding outer peripheral wall has sunken shallow grooves. The insole center is decorated with a plum blossom, which is short and round. It is fired by cushion firing method. The inside and outside are covered with green glaze, which is green in color. The glaze surface has brown patterns, and the foot tip is unglazed with gray white body exposed. By comparing the unearthed objects from the tomb of Zhang Tongzhi in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, the Southern Song Dynasty hoard in Shaowu, Fujian Province, and the gold and silver wares collected in the National Museum in Tokyo, Japan, and the British Museum, we can trace back to the prototype of the temporary imitation. According to the Report on the Inspection of Articles in the Forbidden City, this work was originally collected in the West Warming Pavilion of the Palace of Heavenly Purity. It was handed down along with the brocade bundle, revealing the process of collection and inheritance.