Chenghua Doucai Chicken Cup
Chicken cups are the most famous representatives of doucai porcelain wares made during Emperor Chenghua's reign (1465- 1487) of the Ming Dynasty.
This exquisite chicken cup features a thin wall and refreshing decorations. It lacks any motifs inside. On the outer surface of the cup, amidst plants and rocks, a rooster crows while lifting his neck high, a hen bows her head to forage, and several chicks spread their wings happily and chase each other, giving the entire image an air of vigor and movement.
The doucai porcelain is a new variety created during the Ming Dynasty. Craftsmen first drew outlines with cobalt blue and applied the glaze before burning the objects at high temperature to form the underglaze blue and white outlines. Then, they applied colors above the glaze according to the outlines and fixed the colors at low temperature. The underglaze and overglaze colors compete with each other, hence the name doucai (literally, "contending colors").
This chicken cup combines colors like blue, green, yellow, red, and black, and involves techniques such as painting, outlining, and dyeing, integrating elegance with brilliance.
The cup was from the Jingdezhen Imperial Kiln, which was committed to producing porcelain utensils for royal use. Historical records show that Emperor Wanli owned a pair of valuable Chenghua doucai chicken cups. The Ming and Qing dynasties saw many imitations of famous Chenghua doucai chicken cups.
成化斗彩鸡缸杯
明代成化斗彩以鸡缸杯最为著名。鸡缸杯造型小巧，胎薄体轻，装饰清新。杯内光素，杯外花叶山石间，雄鸡昂首啼鸣，雌鸡低头觅食，小鸡欢快展翅，相互追逐，整体画面虽静犹动。
斗彩，是明代成化年间创烧的新品种。制法上，先用青料勾画轮廓，上釉高温烧成，形成釉下青花轮廓，再按轮廓线于釉上施彩料，低温固色，使釉下彩与釉上彩争奇斗艳。这件鸡缸杯，画面上蓝、绿、黄、红、黑等相映成辉，平涂、勾线、染彩等技法相得益彰。浓淡之间，素雅、鲜丽兼而有之。
此杯为景德镇御窑厂烧制，专供御用。文献记载，万历皇帝御前曾有成化斗彩鸡缸杯一对，价值颇高。明清以来，鸡缸杯仿烧不断，是当之无愧的一代名瓷。
