Lot 3704. An unusual famille-verte 'Month' cup, Mark and period of Kangxi (1662-1722); diameter 6.5 cm., 2 1/2  in. Estimate 200,000 — 300,000 HKD (22,991 — 34,487 EUR). Lot sold 475,000 HKD (54,604 EUR). Photo: Sotheby's

finely potted with deep rounded sides rising from a short foot to a flared rim, the exterior delicately enamelled with a nandina bush laden with ripe red berries, the reverse inscribed in underglaze blue with a poem reading feng hua xin she yan, shi jie jiu chun nong ('when the blossoms sway in the breeze, the swallow returns; This is the time late in spring when the farmer goes back to his fields'), followed by a seal mark reading shang.

Provenance: Christie's London, 14th December 1987, lot 376.

Note: Month cups inscribed with the same poem are usually painted with peach blossoms instead of peony, nandina and dianthus. Together with the unusual painting style, especially evident in the pierced and craggy rockwork, the different design suggests perhaps an earlier date. For another month cup in this sale, also decorated in the famille-vertepalette but of a classic design of the second month, see lot 3703.

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art Hong Kong, 07 Oct 2015