This cup features a nine-character inscription in cursive script. It probably refers to wine-drinking. It is covered in pure, white glaze. In an ancient Chinese practice, the literati would indulge in wine drinking to induce creativity, spontaneity and an awareness of the Universe. Wine cups often have inscriptions from famous poems in praise of wine. These were often the only indication of how the cup has been used - for wine or tea drinking.Dehua, located on the southeast coast of Fujian province, is well known for its production of white porcelain, known to Europeans as 'blanc de Chine'. The earliest Dehua porcelain was produced as early as the 14th century but the production and quality of these porcelain peaked around the 17th and 18th centuries.
