Blue and White Longevity Tea Cup

The delicate blue and white design of this porcelain teacup was painted in a muted, grey pigment, only to be transformed to a rich, cobalt blue by the fiery heat of the kiln. The cup's sides are decorated with a shou symbol of longevity surrounded by five bats, a motif representing the five blessings of happiness. Retaining the immediacy of the artist’s brushwork, the geometric decoration offers a sense of simplicity and spontaneity that looks as fresh today as it did serving tea at the turn of the 20th century.