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Stemcup, the cup with straight sides and slightly everted rim, the stem short and with flaring foot, the base concave. The interior with a sketchy flower spray in a medallion, the outside with galloping horses amidst crested waves, the foot with a wavy band.
The design of sea creatures running over waves is already seen on porcelains dating from the early 15th century. Here the sketchily drawn, humorous flying horses are reserved in white against the blue, white-crested waves. This manner of rendering appears to be typical of the late Wanli reign. A slightly larger stemcup with a very similar decoration of various mystical animals over waves was found in the cargo of the Witte Leeuw (1613), serving as a point of reference for the dating of this kind of object that otherwise would be difficult to date. Given its size this little stemcup was most likely used for a strong alcoholic beverage. It was acquired in Indonesia.
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