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Lot Essay
The poetic inscription reads:
Qingxiang he suyu, jiase chu qingyan ('Its clear fragrance harmonizes with the scent of over-night rain, its beautiful color surpasses the brilliance of sunshine reflected off the haze.')
The couplet is taken from the poem, In Reply to Zhangsun Yi for Sending me Apricot from Lanxi, by the Tang dynasty poet Qian Qi (AD 710-780).
The flower depicted on this particular cup is apricot blossom (xinghua), the flower of the second lunar month. Since this was the month in which the imperial examinations were held, the apricot blossom has also become the 'successful candidate's flower', as well as being a symbol of a beautiful woman.
Qingxiang he suyu, jiase chu qingyan ('Its clear fragrance harmonizes with the scent of over-night rain, its beautiful color surpasses the brilliance of sunshine reflected off the haze.')
The couplet is taken from the poem, In Reply to Zhangsun Yi for Sending me Apricot from Lanxi, by the Tang dynasty poet Qian Qi (AD 710-780).
The flower depicted on this particular cup is apricot blossom (xinghua), the flower of the second lunar month. Since this was the month in which the imperial examinations were held, the apricot blossom has also become the 'successful candidate's flower', as well as being a symbol of a beautiful woman.