'Chicken cup' sets HK$281m world record for Chinese porcelain at Hong Kong auction
A Ming-dynasty cup bearing a modest painting of poultry has proven to be the "holy grail" of Chinese porcelain, fetching a record HK$281.24 million at a Sotheby's auction.
A Ming-dynasty cup bearing a modest painting of poultry has proven to be the "holy grail" of Chinese porcelain, fetching a record HK$281.24 million at a Sotheby's auction.
Commonly known as a "chicken cup", its appeal lies in a traditional illustration of a rooster and hen tending to their chicks that has been replicated many times over since its creation more than 500 years ago.
The antique, measuring just 8cm in diameter, first set a world record for Chinese art 15 years ago. It was at the pinnacle of Chinese porcelain again yesterday, thanks to Liu Yiqian of Shanghai.
"This is perhaps the most duplicated [design] among all the porcelain ever produced throughout the history of China," Sotheby's Asia deputy chairman Nicholas Chow said.
"There are tens of thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands of copies going around in China. There is no more legendary object in the history of Chinese porcelain. This is really the holy grail when it comes to Chinese art."
