Blue and white stemcup

Title
Blue and white stemcup
Year/Period
Qing dynasty (1644 - 1911)
Region
China
Material
Porcelain
Dimension
Object Size: 11.5 x 11.7 x 11.7 cm
Accession No.
2017-00273
Credit Line
Gift of Pamela Hickley
NLB Type
Ceramic

The stemcup is decorated with plum blossoms against a blue background filled with the cracked ice pattern (冰裂纹). The cracked-ice pattern gained popularity as a decorative motif in seventeenth-century China and was appreciated for its beautiful asymmetry. On porcelain vessels, the pattern is often coupled with the plum blossom, which was regarded as a symbol of strength and endurance since the flower blooms in late winter or early spring.