A carved hardwood libation Cup


17th century or laterThe deep curving well of ovoid contour rising from the deeply undercut twigs of magnolia and crabapple blooming from a common stem forming the foot, the interior surface polished to a bright luster (repaired, age cracks).4in (10cm) wide
|The cup is a fitting ornament to a scholar's table: the white magnolia (yulan) and crabapple (haitang) represent a visual pun for yutang (Jade Hall), an elegant name for the Hanlin Academy of Scholars. See Terese Tse Bartholomew, Hidden Meanings in Chinese Art (Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, 2006), p. 152, 6.28.2.