Cup with green glaze, Qing dynasty, Yongzheng mark and period, AD 1723–1735. Porcelain with underglaze cobalt-blue mark, transparent and green glazes, Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province. Height: 6,4 cm. Diameter: 9,5 cm. On loan from Sir Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art, PDF,B.511. © The Trustees of the British Museum

The Yongzheng emperor sent officials to closely supervise production of porcelains at Jingdezhen. From official Qing dynasty palace records we know that he encouraged experimentation with single coloured glazes there. Green derived from copper was used as a single colour glaze from the Xuande period (AD 1425–35), applied over a transparent high-fired glaze. The base has a six-character underglaze blue reign mark of the Yongzheng period.

Previous owner/ex-collection Hon Mountstuart William Elphinstone