A ‘small and unpretentious cup, at first glance unassuming and modest, intended for individual appreciation and handling rather than for display’, is how the auctioneer described the Meiyintang ‘chicken cup’. However the Ming-dynasty cup bearing a modest painting of poultry has proven to be the ‘holy grail’ of Chinese porcelain, fetching a record £21 million at a Sotheby’s auction. The cup was made in the reign of the Chenghua Emperor (1465-87) and the scene on it shows a cock and a hen with chicks in a garden. Sixteen chicken cups from that period are believed to exist.
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