Blue and White Tea Cup

The 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. Painted with a simple cross-hatch pattern, a serpentine dragon weaves its way through billowing clouds, a common symbol of power, strength, and vigilance. Retaining the immediacy of the artist’s brushwork, the design looks as fresh today as it did serving tea at the turn of the 20th century.