This cup is decorated with plum blossoms on a blue, cracked ice pattern (冰裂纹) ground. The cracked-ice pattern gained popularity as a decorative motif in seventeenth-century China and was appreciated for its beautiful asymmetry. On porcelain vessels, the pattern is often coupled with the plum blossom, which was regarded as a symbol of strength and endurance since the flower blooms in late winter or early spring.
