A fine and very rare Famille Verte 'Butterfly and Crab Apple' wine cup, Kangxi six-character mark within double circles and of the period (1662-1722). Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2014

The cup is delicately potted to egg-shell thinness, finely enamelled on the exterior in the famille verte palette with three butterflies in flight amidst a branch bearing three crab apples. 2 1/2 in. (6.3 cm.) diam., box. Estimate HK$400,000 - HK$600,000 ($51,829 - $77,744). Price Realized HK$937,500 ($121,446)

Provenance: A Swiss private collection, acquired in the 1970s

Notes: The current cup is an example of the very fine wares enamelled with the newly developed famille verte palette developed during the Kangxi period comprising transparent green, iron red, aubergine and yellow overglaze enamels, combining to constitute a delightful scene of ripe crab apples and fluttering butterflies.

A famille verte bowl of larger size, similarly decorated with a spray of crab apple and two butterflies, also bearing a Kangxi mark, is in the Beijing Palace Museum, illustrated in Porcelains in Polychrome and Contrasting Colours, The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Hong Kong, 1999, no. 146. 

Christie's. THE IMPERIAL SALE / IMPORTANT CHINESE CERAMICS AND WORKS OF ART, 28 May 2014, Hong Kong - http://www.christies.com/