Not currently on display at the V&A

Wine Cup

Place of origin
Vietnam (found)
China (made)

This object was salvaged from the wreck of a trade ship thought to be a Chinese junk, dating to approximately 1725. This date corresponds to the reign of the Kangxi emperor (1662-1722) of the Qing dynasty (1644-1911). The wreck was discovered off the Southern coast of Vietnam in 1998 near Ca Mau. The wreck is now commonly referred to as the Ca Mau wreck.
The ship was loaded with Chinese porcelain of various designs for export to South Asia and Europe. This object is one of a group of 182 pieces of porcelain acquired by the V&A from this wreck.


Object details

Category
Ceramics
Object type
Wine cup
Materials and techniques
Ceramic
Glaze
Cobalt
Celadon
Fired
Painted
Glazed
Brief description
Celadon glazed porcelain wine cup
Physical description
White porcelain cup with a pale celadon glaze and a four character underglaze cobalt blue mark to the base.
Dimensions
  • Diameter: 7cm
Styles
Kangxi
Qing
Production typeMass produced
Marks and inscriptions
  • Underglaze blue four character mark to the base: 'Ruo Shen zhen zang'. (These carry a mark on the underside which can be translated as 'Treasured collection of Ruo Shen'. Ruo Shen is a personal name and without a surname it is not possible to establish the identity of this man. Numerous small porcelain cups have been found to bear this mark. In the V&A collections there examples dating to the 17th century, the 18th century and the 19th century suggesting that this mark eventually became a stylistic trait rather than a personal reference.)
    Translation
    'Treasured collection of Ruo Shen'
  • Transliteration
    .
Object history
This object was salvaged from the wreck of a trade ship, probably a Chinese junk dating to approximately 1725. This date corresponds to the reign of the Yongzheng emperor (1723-1735) of the Qing dynasty (1644-1911). The wreck was discovered off the Southern coast of Vietnam in 1998 near Ca Mau. The wreck is now commonly referred to as the Ca Mau wreck. By 1999 a total of 51,500 pieces had been recovered form the wreck.

It was loaded with Chinese porcelain of various designs for export to South Asia and Europe. This object is one of a group of 182 pieces of porcelain acquired by the V&A from this wreck. These objects were sold through Sotheby's, Amsterdam at sale AM0967 'Made in Imperial China: 76,000 pieces of export porcelain from the Ca Mau shipwreck, Circa 1725' which took place in 2007.

Historical significance: This object provides useful information about trade, trade routes, design and markets for Chinese ceramics during the 18th century.
Production
This object was salvaged from the wreck of a trade ship, probably a Chinese junk dating to approximately 1725. This date corresponds to the reign of the Yongzheng emperor (1723-1735) of the Qing dynasty (1644-1911). The wreck was discovered off the Southern coast of Vietnam in 1998 near Ca Mau. The wreck is now commonly referred to as the Ca Mau wreck. By 1999 a total of 51,500 pieces had been recovered form the wreck.

It was loaded with Chinese porcelain of various designs for export to South Asia and Europe. This object is one of a group of 182 pieces of porcelain acquired by the V&A from this wreck. These objects were sold through Sotheby's, Amsterdam at sale AM0967 'Made in Imperial China: 76,000 pieces of export porcelain from the Ca Mau shipwreck, Circa 1725' which took place in 2007.
Subjects depicted
Cricket
Flower
Grass
Summary
This object was salvaged from the wreck of a trade ship thought to be a Chinese junk, dating to approximately 1725. This date corresponds to the reign of the Kangxi emperor (1662-1722) of the Qing dynasty (1644-1911). The wreck was discovered off the Southern coast of Vietnam in 1998 near Ca Mau. The wreck is now commonly referred to as the Ca Mau wreck.
The ship was loaded with Chinese porcelain of various designs for export to South Asia and Europe. This object is one of a group of 182 pieces of porcelain acquired by the V&A from this wreck.
Collection
East Asia Collection
Accession number
FE.183-2007

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Record createdNovember 21, 2008
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O173200/wine-cup/
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