Cup with Dragon and Clouds (1522–66): Art, History and Details

Cup with Dragon and Clouds (1522–66) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

In the Ming dynasty (1368–1644), luxury items became more affordable to larger parts of the society, including women, merchants, and literati in non-official positions. Imperial patronage and a growing urban population encouraged consumption of luxury goods and local craftmanship. This small white bell-shaped cup illustrates the advanced porcelain techniques and the creative mind of the talented artisan who sought clients on a competitive market.

Object facts

• Title: Cup with Dragon and Clouds
• Date: 1522–66
• Culture: China, Jiangxi province, Jingdezhen kilns, Ming dynasty (1368-1644), Jiajing mark and reign (1522-66)
• Type: Ceramic
• Technique: porcelain with incised decoration and white glaze
• Dimensions: Diameter: 7.2 cm (2 13/16 in.); Overall: 5.8 cm (2 5/16 in.)
• Collection: China - Ming Dynasty
• Department: Chinese Art
• Accession number: 1964.176

A detail from the museum

This cup is incised with a "secret" decoration of clouds and dragons.

Collection credit

Severance and Greta Millikin Collection

Further reading listed by the museum

• Catalogue of the Severance and Greta Millikin Collection. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1990.

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.