Blue and White Stem Cup

The blue and white design of this ceramic 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 flared cup is elevated by a cylindrical stem foot and painted with gestural brushstrokes for a floral effect. Retaining the immediacy of the artist’s brushwork, the early 20th century cup has an offhand spontaneity befitting of an everyday object.