The generously sized cup with an elegantly proportioned tapering body, finely carved around the mid-section in varying levels of relief with archaistic taotie masks on a leiwen ground between lappet and lotus scroll bands, the foot encircled by a narrow band of confronted archaistic dragons separated by small flanges, the cup flanked by a ridged flange below the rim and a handle formed by a large pair of chilong, one in descent, the other in ascent with its head peering over the rim at a further chilong on the interior of the spout beneath the rim bordered by keyfret, with fourteen further smaller qilong playfully clambering around the sides of the cup, the material of a rich deep amber tone darkening to chestnut at the core.