This stout blue and white cup with an angular flaring mouth-rim is decorated with floral motifs on the exterior. There is also a blue line along the inner rim of the cup. This cup was acquired in the Philippines and was used as a utility ware.Trade with overseas markets was the main moving force behind the flourishing production of blue and white ware during the Yuan period (1279-1368). Blue and white wares were particularly popular among the Middle Eastern traders who formed the principal market.Blue and white wares such as this cup were produced preceding the Ming dynasty and were known as ‘Minyao’ (‘provincial ware’). Such export wares were usually found in Southeast Asian countries such as the Philippines, which was an important market for Chinese ceramics since the Northern Song period.
