Lot 2148. A blue and white wine cup, 18th century; 2 5/8 in. (6.2 cm.) diam. Estimate USD 4,000 - USD 6,000. Price Realized USD 20,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2014. 

The bowl is potted with deep, rounded sides rising to a flared rim. The exterior is decorated with alternating bands of shou characters and peaches within shaped cartouches, interspersed with floral sprays, all on a diamond-pattern ground. The center of the interior is decorated with a peach, lingzhi and ruyi motifs. An apocryphal Chenghua mark is on the base, box.

Note: The scene depicted is a reference to the 4th century calligrapher Wang Xizhi, whose famous style was inspired by the graceful motion of his swimming geese.

A small doucai cup decorated with the same scene, and also inscribed with an apocryphal Chenghua mark, is illustrated in Kangxi Porcelain Wares in the Shanghai Museum Collection, Shanghai, 1988, p. 260, pl. 168-1.

Christie's. Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, New York, 20 - 21 March 2014