A pair of Chinese famille rose cups, Republic period (1912-1949), each of tapering form with a flared rim, painted with a continuous scene of five boys in a garden, all holding objects symbolic of scholarly success and good fortune, two boys with ruyi sceptres, one carrying a spear tied with a ribbon suspending a chime, one with a vase with a stalk of grain and a lantern, and another holding a lantern in the shape of a fish, the base with a four-character mark `lingzhi chengxiang` (the qilin`s footprints foretell good fortune) in iron red, 5.7cm high (2) The decoration on these cups is filled with symbols of posterity. The five boys represent the sons of Dou Yujun, all of whom achieved exceptional success and were known as the `five dragons`. The mark `lingzhi chengxiang` is an ancient greeting used to wish couples the birth of a son and often found on pieces decorated with boys and qilin . For a similar pair of jars and covers with the same decoration, see Sotheby`s, New York, 17-18 September 2013, lot 367, and Bonhams, Knightsbridge, 9 May 2022, lot 135. 民国 粉彩婴戏图杯 《麟趾呈祥》矾红楷书款 一对 Condition Report Some minor gilt losses. One with minute chips to foot rim.