CHINE, DYNASTIE QING, MARQUE A SIX CARACTERES DANS UN DOUBLE CERCLE EN BLEU SOUS COUVERTE ET EPOQUE KANGXI (1662-1722)

The flower depicted on this particular cup is pomegranate blossom (shiliu), the flower of the fifth lunar month. The poetic couplet is taken from the poem tong he yong lou qian hai shi lou er shou by the Tang poet Sun Ti (696-761). The inscription may be translated as: 'The colour of the pomegranate flowers dampened with dew is reflected in the beaded curtain, the breeze scented with their fragrance is contained by the whitewashed wall, and the seeds of the pomegranate resemble the beads of a curtain'.