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Lot Essay
The reverse has an inscription which may be translated to 'The subtle perfume of orchids pervades the great hall; as music plays on the lofty terraces'.
‘Month’ cups were produced in sets of twelve during the Kangxi reign (1662-1722). Each cup is decorated with a different floral design representing the twelve months of the lunar calendar, complemented by a Tang-dynasty couplet with relevance to the flower depicted, ending with the seal reading shang (appreciation). Such intricate combination of painting, poem and seal on a porcelain surface makes these cups highly coveted items among generations of connoisseurs. These cups are also prized for their remarkable workmanship, as each is so thinly potted that the cobalt blue decorations on the exterior can be seen through the eggshell thin porcelain from the interior of the vessel.
Extant sets of all twelve cups are extremely rare and mostly held in major museum collections including the Palace Museum, Beijing, collection no. gu00146739; and The Metropolitan Museum of Art, acc. no. 50.145.267–.278. Yet a complete blue and white set from a private collection was sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 28 November 2018, lot 2908.
The 'orchid' month cup is particularly rare, and the present lot may be the only one to have appeared at auction. Wucai month cups decorated with other floral designs have also been offered, including an 'apricot blossom' month cup, formerly in the Au Bak Ling collection, sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 30 October 2025, lot 922; and an 'osmanthus' month cup, formerly in the collection of Thomas R. Vaughn, sold at Christie's New York, 19 September 2025, lot 1027.
‘Month’ cups were produced in sets of twelve during the Kangxi reign (1662-1722). Each cup is decorated with a different floral design representing the twelve months of the lunar calendar, complemented by a Tang-dynasty couplet with relevance to the flower depicted, ending with the seal reading shang (appreciation). Such intricate combination of painting, poem and seal on a porcelain surface makes these cups highly coveted items among generations of connoisseurs. These cups are also prized for their remarkable workmanship, as each is so thinly potted that the cobalt blue decorations on the exterior can be seen through the eggshell thin porcelain from the interior of the vessel.
Extant sets of all twelve cups are extremely rare and mostly held in major museum collections including the Palace Museum, Beijing, collection no. gu00146739; and The Metropolitan Museum of Art, acc. no. 50.145.267–.278. Yet a complete blue and white set from a private collection was sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 28 November 2018, lot 2908.
The 'orchid' month cup is particularly rare, and the present lot may be the only one to have appeared at auction. Wucai month cups decorated with other floral designs have also been offered, including an 'apricot blossom' month cup, formerly in the Au Bak Ling collection, sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 30 October 2025, lot 922; and an 'osmanthus' month cup, formerly in the collection of Thomas R. Vaughn, sold at Christie's New York, 19 September 2025, lot 1027.