AN EXTREMELY RARE PAIR OF BLUE-GROUND IRON-RED AND GREEN-ENAMELED 'MYTHICAL BEASTS' STEM CUPS WANLI MARKS AND PERIOD

each with rounded sides rising from a spreading foot to a flared rim, decorated to the exterior with mythical beasts with incised features, frolicking among green cresting waves against a ground of bright blue inky tones, the rim mounted in silver above a collar of red-enameled ruyi between green and blue enamel line borders, repeating on the horizontal filet encircling the stem, the interior covered in brilliant green enamel and centered by nine underglaze blue lança characters, the base glazed white and inscribed with a six-character mark within a double circle (2)
Diameter 3 3/8 in., 8.5 cm

Provenance:
Nagatani, Chicago, 12th January 1959.
Collection of Stephen Junkunc, III (d. 1978).