These unusual cups have curved walls and flared rims. The 'anhua' (secret) decoration of two four-clawed dragons chasing a flaming pearl was moulded in low relief. With transmitted light, it is possible to see fine details such as the facial features of the dragons. The dragon motif rarely makes an appearance on Dehua wares. It is possible these cups were inspired by imperial wine cups made at Jingdezhen, China. Thin-bodied cups with impressed dragons were made as early as the Chenghua period (1465-1487) at the imperial kilns at Jingdezhen. They were probably emulated later, as wares of that period so often were.Dehua, located on the southeast coast of Fujian province, is well known for its production of white porcelain, known to Europeans as 'blanc de Chine'. The earliest Dehua porcelain was produced as early as the 14th century but the production and quality of these porcelain peaked around the 17th and 18th centuries.
