A VERY RARE GOLD 'DRAGON'-HANDLED CUP, YUAN DYNASTY (1279-1368)

A VERY RARE GOLD 'DRAGON'-HANDLED CUP
YUAN DYNASTY (1279-1368)
The cup has a shallow bowl with rounded sides raised on a gently flared ring foot. The handle is exquisitely executed in repoussé from two gold sheets as a dragon head suspending a loose ring from its clenched jaws. The cup is chased with a narrow band of foliate scroll below the mouth rim, and the bottom of the interior is chased with three peony blossoms borne on leafy, scrolling stems on a stippled ground within a 'bead' border.
4 3/8 in. (11.2 cm.) wide; weight 72.1 g

Saleroom Notice
Please note that there is additional literature for this lot: D. Lion-Goldschmidt and J.-C. Moreau-Gobard, Chinese Art II: Gold, Silver, Later Bronzes, Cloisonné Cantonese Enamel, Lacquer, Furniture, Wood, Switzerland, 1966, p. 29, no. 14 (revised English edition 1980).