KANGXI SIX-CHARACTER MARK WITHIN A DOUBLE CIRCLE AND OF THE PERIOD (1662-1722)

It is rare to find cups emblematic of the twelve months painted in underglaze-blue and without the poetic inscription. Comparing to similarly painted ‘month cups’ with inscriptions, the present cup can be identified as representing the second month with two flowering magnolia trees. Compare with three complete sets of cups for all twelve months with peotic inscriptions, the first is in the Qing Court Collection, illustrated in Blue and White Porcelain with Underglazed Red (III), The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Hong Kong, 2000, no. 71; the second in the Nanjing Museum, illustrated in Qing Imperial Porcelain of the Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong Reigns, Hong Kong, 1995, pl. 21, the third complete set is illustrated in The Tsui Museum of Art - Chinese Ceramics IV - Qing Dynasty, Hong Kong, 1995, pl. 105B.