Set of Twelve Famille Rose “Flower Deity” Cups, Qing Style
For higher-value objects, we encourage inquiries prior to purchase.
Additional photographs, close-up views, and condition details are available upon request, whenever possible.
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Collection
Ceramics & Tea Wares
Period
Qing Style
Overview
A finely painted set of twelve small famille rose cups, each decorated with seasonal floral subjects and poetic inscriptions, admired for its elegant porcelain body, scholarly refinement, and strong cabinet appeal.
Description
This set comprises twelve delicately potted porcelain cups, each painted in famille rose enamels with an individual floral composition and corresponding poetic inscription. The cups are of gently flaring form with neatly finished foot rims, their restrained shape providing an ideal field for the varied decorative schemes. While unified as a set, each cup possesses its own pictorial identity, creating a series that is visually coherent yet richly varied.
Particularly appealing is the balance between image and text. One side of each cup is painted with flowering branches, blossoms, rocks, or garden elements rendered in a refined palette of soft iron red, green, blue, and muted aubergine tones; the reverse bears calligraphic inscription in underglaze blue, reinforcing the literati character of the ensemble. The floral subjects evoke the traditional theme of the Twelve Flower Deities, long appreciated in Chinese decorative arts for the way they connect poetry, seasonality, and refined domestic culture.
The set is further distinguished by the freshness of its white porcelain ground and the delicacy of the enamel painting, which together give the cups a light, cultivated elegance. Objects of this type are especially admired not only as tea wares, but also as collector’s pieces in which small scale, poetic association, and decorative subtlety come together. As a complete group, the present set is best appreciated for its harmony, variety, and strong display value, further enhanced by its fitted presentation box.
Details
Object Type: Set of Twelve Cups / Tea Cups
Material: Porcelain with famille rose enamels
Decoration: Individual floral subjects with poetic inscriptions
Form: Small flaring cups with short foot rims
Height: 4.8 cm
Width: 6.4 cm
Weight: 380 g
Presentation: Fitted storage / presentation box
Origin: China
Condition
Overall in good presentation condition, with minor wear, light enamel variation, and age-related characteristics consistent with porcelain cups of this type. Minor firing irregularities, surface wear, or small imperfections may be present and are in keeping with the nature of the material and the delicacy of the set.
Authenticity & Attribution Note
This set is offered as a work in Qing style. The attribution is based on form, decorative vocabulary, enamel palette, marks, and comparative visual judgment, and should be understood as stylistic rather than as an absolute guarantee of dynastic period. Marks on the bases should be interpreted with appropriate caution and not taken alone as definitive proof of date.
We are happy to provide additional photographs, closer views, and condition details whenever possible. Serious inquiries are always welcome.