Lot 2257. A very rare famille verte 'Lotus' month cup, Kangxi six-character mark within double circles and of the period (1662-1722); 2 1/2 in. (6.5 cm.) diam. Estimate 400,000 - HKD 600,000 USD. Lot sold 2,670,000USD. © Christie's Images Ltd 2013 

The cup is delicately potted with flaring sides, with the exterior painted and enamelled representing the sixth month with two mandarin ducks swimming in a lotus pond with a kingfisher in flight overhead. The reverse has an inscription which may be translated as 'Jade-like, the lotus root is untainted by muddy waters; the gathering dew drops are like pearls on its heart-shaped leaves', followed by a seal mark reading Shang, 'Appreciation', Japanese wood box. 

Property of the Yiqingge Collection.  

Provenance: A Japanese private collection, acquired in the early 20th century 

Note: These finely potted cups are so-called 'month cups', made at the imperial kilns during the Kangxi reign. One was made for each month of the lunar calendar. As in the case of the current example, these cups are so thinly potted that the blue of the inscription on the exterior can be seen through the porcelain from the interior of the vessel. There has been much scholarly debate regarding which cup should be assigned to which month in the lunar calendar. For a discourse on flowers in Chinese art, see W. Perceval Yetts, 'Notes on Flower Symbolism in China', Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, January, 1941. 

The design format of these cups with a pictorial composition on one side and a poetic inscription ending in a seal mark on the other is inspired by the long tradition in classical painting and was an innovation of the Kangxi period.  

Compare to a complete set of cups for all twelve months in the Qing Court Collection, see Porcelains in Polychrome and Contrasting Colours, The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Hong Kong, 1999, pl. 140. The Percival David Foundation in London has another full set, see Rosemary Scott, For the Imperial Court - Qing Porcelain from the Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art, New York, 1997, pp. 82-83, no. 23.  

Christie's. IMPERIAL SALE: IMPORTANT CHINESE CERAMICS AND WORKS OF ART. 29 May 2013. Convention Hall.