This type of petal-moulded cup stand 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.

For similar examples with the ruyi medallion in the centre, cf. the one illustrated by A. du Boulay, Christie's Pictorial History of Chinese Ceramics, 1984, p. 148; one in the Shanghai Museum, illustrated in Underglaze Blue and Red, Wang Qingzheng (ed.), Hong Long, 1987, pl. 39; the stand included in Chinese Art from the Reach Family Collection, Mssrs Eskenazi, London, 8-22 December 1989, pl. 31; and another illustrated in China's Jingdezhen Porcelain Through the Ages, Beijing, 1998, pp. 37-8. There are also examples with a blossoming flowerhead in the centre, such as the one in the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities, Stockholm, illustrated in Oriental Ceramics, Kondasha Series, Tokyo, 1982, vol. 8, pl. 51.

The replacement cup is produced by the contemporary Japanese potter, Kawase Chikushan II (1923-).