Description
Five small Kangxi (1654 – 1722) lac burgauté wine cups inlaid with mother of pearl, each with chamfered flaring sides and supported by a wrapped foot. Four decorative panels on each cup, featuring distinct figural, landscape or water scenes. Made of black lacquer with iridescent abalone shells, the interior and foot wrapped and lined with a silvered-copper/tin.
Items using this inlay style are often referred to using the French term “lac burgauté,” which is derived from a French word referencing the shells themselves. The lac burgauté technique involves inlaying small iridescent blue-green abalone shells in black lacquer; sometimes combined with silver wire inlay or gold foil. As the technique itself is extremely delicate, it was most frequently used on smaller objects, such as these wine cups. Other times, it was used on trays, small bottles, small boxes or miniature furniture. Lac burgauté wine cups can be found in a variety of shapes ranging from stem cups, round cups and even ingot shaped cups, although these smaller 4 sided cups are the most frequently found types.
Lac burgauté items were particularly popular during the Kangxi era (1654 – 1722). As a result, many lac burgauté pieces are generally assumed to be of the period. The Japanese also had their own version of the technique referred to as “aogai” (which also refers to the shells), although stylistically they appear different from the Chinese ones. More problematic in attributions however, is Ryukyu items and almost identical cups exist in the Urasoe Art Museum in Okinawa, having been made in 17th/18th century Ryukyu kingdom, under Chinese influences. It is therefore, also possible these cups could also be attributed to Ryukyu.
Cups of this style can be found in the Birmingham Museum of Art (see below), the British Museum, the famous Muwen Tang collection in Hong Kong and many others.
Condition: Some cracks to the lacquer. Tarnish. Wear.
Size: 6 x 6 x 4 cm
