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Lot Essay
The lovely mille fleurs, or wanhuajin (myriad flower brocade), design seen on these beautiful cups was developed in the Qianlong reign (1736-1795) and continued to be much admired at court during the reign of the Jiaqing emperor. The pattern is a masterpiece of design, interweaving the flowers to form a harmonious overall decoration.
Compare to a similar pair of Jiaqing-marked mille fleurs cups sold at Christie's New York, 17 September 2008, lot 518; and another example from the Kumasaku Tomita Collection, sold at Chrisite's Hong Kong, 27 May 2008, lot 1751. A pair of similarly decorated cups, also with iron-red six-character Jiaqing marks, from the Edward T. Chow Collection was illustrated by C. and M. Beurdeley in La Ceramique Chinoise, Fribourg, 1974, no. 151. These were later sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, The Edward T. Chow Collection, Part One, 25 November 1980, lot 171.
Compare to a similar pair of Jiaqing-marked mille fleurs cups sold at Christie's New York, 17 September 2008, lot 518; and another example from the Kumasaku Tomita Collection, sold at Chrisite's Hong Kong, 27 May 2008, lot 1751. A pair of similarly decorated cups, also with iron-red six-character Jiaqing marks, from the Edward T. Chow Collection was illustrated by C. and M. Beurdeley in La Ceramique Chinoise, Fribourg, 1974, no. 151. These were later sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, The Edward T. Chow Collection, Part One, 25 November 1980, lot 171.