19th C. Chinese Export Canton Covered Syllabub Cup #3
Chinese export porcelain blue and white covered cup, c. 1800 - 1850.
Dimensions: Approximately 2½” diameter x 3½” tall (including the lid).
Decoration:
The lid has a berry-from knop.
The rim of the lid has a typical rain and cloud border.
The scene on the lid consists of boats, mountains, and houses.
The scene on the body consists of pavilions, boats, and houses.
The handle is intertwined.
The base is unmarked.
Syllabub cups can be roughly divided into two periods of manufacture based on the design. Early to mid-19th century cups, such as this one, have intertwined handles and berry-form knops. Later cups have simple loop handles and ball knops.
Syllabub, sometimes spelled “sillabub”, was a drink or dish of sweetened milk or cream mixed with wine, cider, or the like.
References:Examples of this type of cup are shown in Gail & Rich Mellin’s 2015 book “Collecting Canton” on page 73, Jane Wilson’s 1977 booklet “Canton for the Collector” on page 16, and in Herbert Schiffer’s 1975 book “Chinese Export Porcelain” on page 131.
For a discussion of Canton scenes and borders see Madsen & White, “Chinese Export Porcelains” (2009), and Forbes, “Hills and Streams: Landscape Decoration on Chinese Export Blue and White Porcelain” (1982).
Condition: There is a fleabite under the rim of the lid; otherwise in excellent condition consistent with age and usage.