SUI DYNASTY (581-618)

The present cup is a rare example of the fine high-fired white wares produced during the Sui dynasty, which are characterised by their fine clay body and thin, crackled translucent glaze. Related cups are known, but are usually of smaller sizes, such as an example (8.8 cm. diam.) in the Xi’an Institute of Cultural Relics Preservation, illustrated in Complete Collection of Ceramic Art Unearthed in China, vo. 15, Shaanxi, Beijing, 2008, p. 14, no. 14. For other similar cups of this larger size group, compare one (12.1 cm. diam.) sold at Sotheby’s New York, 21 September 2022, lot 321; and another from the Annenberg Jaffe Hall Collection (12.2 cm. diam.), sold at Christie’s New York, 24 March 2023, lot 1001 (fig. 1).