Five cups with chicken design

These imperial-ware cups are deep, with slightly flared mouths and sunken bases. Decorative designs in doucai (joined colors) are applied on the exterior in four clusters. One is composed of rocks, narcissus and bamboo, a second of rocks and peonies, and the last two of cock, hen and chicks. The patterns are outlined in light blue and filled in in red, yellow, green, black and other colors. On the base is a six-character, underglaze blue reign mark of the Yongzheng era, written in two columns in regular script and within a double square.

The most renowned cups with chicken designs in doucai are those of the Chenghua era (1465–1487) of the Ming dynasty. It was recorded that during the Wanli reign the value of a single pair was one hundred thousand cash. As expected, many imitations appeared in the Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong periods of the Qing dynasty. The two pairs presented here are examples of this, on which the corresponding reign mark has been affixed. The design, size and color are very close to the Chenghua prototypes, but the black, seen in the tail of the cock, is an additional hue not found in the originals. Moreover, the detailed depiction of the Yongzheng pieces results in a higher degree of realism. It has been suggested that the design of chickens and chicks together with rocks and grass is inspired by Shi You's words, quoted from Ji Jiu Pian. The virile cocks on these cups, especially their tails, tally with Shi's description.