Small tea cup and saucer (part of a larger set)
China
1820-1850
Measurements
Cup, 1-3/8 in x 2-1/8 in (dia); saucer, 7/8 in x 3-3/8 in (dia)
Materials
Gilded and underglaze blue decorated porcelain
Credit Line
Historic Odessa Foundation, anonymous loan
Accession Number
2011.74.13
Condition Notes
The cup has two hairline cracks. The saucer has a hairline crack with a rim chip at that site.
Provenance
Ex coll. H. Rodney Sharp
Comments
The small tea cup and accompanying saucer are part of a larger set that includes four tea cups (accession nos. 2011.74.11 through 2011.74.13) and nine saucers (accession nos. 2011.74.6 through 2011.74.14). The tea cups and saucers are all decorated in a rich cobalt blue and depict characteristic Nanking scenes. They show a pagoda among other Chinese buildings, a meandering waterway separating islands, a Chinese figure carrying water containers across a bridge, and other Chinese figures in boats. All of the objects have finely rendered floral bands at the tops of the cups and around the inside edges of the saucers. The rims are gilded.
