This exquisite doucai cup—known as the “Three Autumns Cup” (Sanqiu bei)—is an outstanding representative of official Chenghua porcelain from the imperial kilns at Jingdezhen. Supremely elegant in proportion and immaculately finished, the vessel combines the tender palette and lyrical brushwork that define the finest wares of the period.
The cup features a flared mouth, deep rounded sides, narrow base and neatly turned footrim. The interior is left plain and luminous, covered in a silky white glaze of jade-like purity. Inside the double blue-circle on the base is a six-character underglaze-blue mark reading Da Ming Chenghua Nian Zhi (Made during the Chenghua reign of the Great Ming), written in precisely spaced regular script characteristic of imperial pieces.
The decoration on the exterior embodies the doucai (“contending colours”) technique perfected during the Chenghua reign: first, outlines of the motifs were drawn in underglaze cobalt blue and fired at high temperature under a clear glaze; then enamel colours—subtle shades of iron red, yellow, emerald green, and the distinctive Chenghua aubergine-purple—were applied over the glaze and fired again at a lower temperature to achieve the soft fusion of hues.
The design depicts two alternately arranged panels of flowers, rocks, and fluttering butterflies,symbolising the abundance and grace of autumn—the “Three Autumns” (likely chrysanthemum,cassia, and hibiscus). The fluttering butterflies (hudie) are rendered with delicate precision, their wings coloured in radiant chazi purple—dense, matt and glowing from within—unique to Chenghua enamelling. The slender brushwork, airy composition, and refined colour harmony convey an impression of stillness enlivened by natural movement, the ideal expression of late-Ming court aesthetics.
Combining lightness of form, serenity of motif, and consummate mastery of both underglaze and overglaze techniques, this Blue and White Doucai “Three Autumns” Cup exemplifies the peak of finesse reached by Chenghua porcelain production—an intimate masterpiece where imperial craftsmanship meets poetic subtlety.
