Description

Antique Chinese dainty cup for drinking fine liquor with delicate writing and fruiting branches in gold lacquer on black lacquer ground. The writing translates as: “Savor the bejeweled nectar, the outstanding fruit of the immortals, the elixir of crushed jade, the exotic chǔpíng fruit of legend.”

嘗 to taste

来 to come

玉液 “gem/jade nectar”; can also mean ‘fine liquor’

殊 special/outstanding

仙菓 mythical fruit of the immortals

剖破 to take apart & break; (= crushed)

瓊漿 fine jade elixir, a drink of the immortals; (often together with 玉液 from above); can also mean ‘jadelike wine’

(瓊 appears in a different form in the lower right portion but seems clear from context here)

異 different, uncommon

椘苹 (variant of 楚萍) the legendary chuping fruit described by Confucius as round, red and edible

Age: 18th century

Dimensions: 2 3/4″ high x 1 1/2″ wide diameter