This type of petal-moulded cupstand in both underglaze-red and blue forms originated in the late Yuan dynasty and continued to be produced by the imperial kilns at Jingdezhen under the patronage of the first Ming Emperor, Hongwu.

The composite flower scroll seen on the present lot is characteristic of Hongwu porcelains but rarely seen on cupstands, where a chrysanthemum scroll is more often used in that part of the decoration.

For similar cupstands painted with the ruyi medallion in the centre (as opposed to a peony spray), cf. one illustrated by A. du Boulay, Christie's Pictorial History of Chinese Ceramics, London, 1984, p. 148; one in the Shanghai Museum, illustrated by Wang Qingzheng (ed.), Underglaze Blue and Red, Hong Kong, 1987, pl. 39; the stand included in Chinese Art from the Reach Family Collection, Messrs Eskenazi, London, December 1989, pl. 31; one illustrated in China's Jingdezhen Porcelain Through the Ages, Beijing, 1998, pp. 37-38; and another from the Manno Art Museum, sold in these Rooms, 28 October 2002, lot 528.

Among the cupstands painted with a blossoming flowerhead in the centre is the example in the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities, Stockholm, illustrated in Oriental Ceramics, Kodansha Series, Tokyo, 1982, vol. 8, pl. 51.