Chinese kilns produced white vessels that were splashed with green glaze. Several colours could be used for this technique, but green examples appealed specially to the Islamic Middle East. Similar wares have been found throughout the Abbasid Empire, for example, at Samarra, Siraf, and Nishapur. Chinese green-splashed wares were widely imitated in the Middle East, but artists there created their own distinct variations, often adding inscriptions. Most Chinese green-splashed wares were made in the Gongxian kilns in Henan province. They may have been developed as an alternative product because the Gongxian white wares could not match the quality of white ceramics made by other kilns.This fragmentary stem cup has a tube attached to the side that connects to a hole at the base. A duck figure conceals the hole. The tube works like a straw, and it is possible that these are “nose-drinking cups” (鼻饮杯). The Song-dynasty poet Fan Chengda范成大said that “drinking wine through the nose was a pleasurable experience” (云水自鼻入咽，快不可言).
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