A tall Chinese porcelain Dutch-decorated U-shaped cup or beaker 1st half 18th century

A tall Chinese porcelain Dutch-decorated U-shaped cup or beaker 1st half 18th century, with original anhua floral decoration beneath a narrow hatched band in underglaze blue, later-enamelled in Holland in the Kakiemon style with a figure resting one foot on a striped fence beside a bird perched in a pine tree, a further figure beside a low table on which rests a vase of flowers, 8.5cm high.

Provenance: the Helen Espir Collection, no. 939. Purchased from R & G McPherson, April 2011.

The scene shown on the cup is from the Romance of the West Chamber, a story of a secret love affair between the young scholar, Zhang Sheng, and Cui Yingying, the daughter of a court official. Based on a story told since the Tang Dynasty, it was at one time placed on the list of Forbidden Books, described in the 17th century as being 'a book teaching debauchery'. Nonetheless, it is unlikely that the Dutch decorator understood the significance of the scene he was copying. Sadly, the perspective of the decoration has also gone a little awry and poor Yingying is cut in half by the presence of the table.