Month cups with lotus
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Title |
Month cups with lotus |
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Description |
Two cups, from set of "flower-of-the-month cups." Blue and white ware (pinyin: qīng-huā; "Blue flowers") came back to prominence with the Xuande Emperor, and developed from that time on. The Xuande Emperor (1399-1435) was the fifth emperor of the Ming dynasty of China, ruling from 1425 to 1435. Blue and white ware is white pottery and porcelain decorated under the transparent glaze with a blue pigment, generally cobalt oxide. The Chinese nation loves flowers. The lotus flower is one of the top ten most famous flower species in China, and has been the most favored one for hundreds of years. Grown in muddy swamps and risen above the surface to bloom with remarkable beauty, the exquisite flower is huge in size, bright in color, fragrant in scent, and extremely adaptive. At night the flower closes and sinks underwater; at dawn it rises and opens again. Untouched by any impurities, the lotus symbolizes purity of the heart and mind and represents long life, humility, honor and tranquility. This set of cups were one of a series of 12, one issued each month of the year. The inscription on the bottom of each cup is "Xuande, 1425-1423". The inscription is incomplete, thereby indicating that this is most likely a copy of the cups made during Xuande's reign. Month cups with lotus donated to the Krannert Art Museum by Sophie Leung, 2001. |
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Subject |
Teacups--China--Specimens.; Drinking cups--China--Specimens.; Porcelain, Chinese--Ming-Qing dynasties, 1368-1912.; Pottery, Chinese--Ming-Qing dynasties, 1368-1912.; Flowers in art.; Lotus--China--Art. |
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Date |
[sometime before 2001] |
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