Lot Essay
The inscription is taken from Yingzhong baxian ge, the Tang Dynastsy Ballad on the Eight Drunken Immortals, by Du Fu (712-770 A.D.) which reads Zhizhang qi ma si cheng chuan, yan hua luo jing shui zhong mian.
Zhizhang rides his horse as if he were riding on a boat,
His vision is blurred, he tips into the well, and falls asleep in the water
Cf. a similar winecup from the Edward Chow and T.Y. Chao collections, sold in Hong Kong 25 November 1980, lot 149 and again 18 November 1986, lot 119 together with another cup depicting the poet Li Bo
Zhizhang rides his horse as if he were riding on a boat,
His vision is blurred, he tips into the well, and falls asleep in the water
Cf. a similar winecup from the Edward Chow and T.Y. Chao collections, sold in Hong Kong 25 November 1980, lot 149 and again 18 November 1986, lot 119 together with another cup depicting the poet Li Bo