Dayazhai Enamel Lingzhi Chicken Heart Cup

The enamel-painted Lingzhi Chicken Heart Cup is a collaborative work by several masters of Jingdezhen overglaze enamel and gold-painting techniques, including Master Zhang Jian.
The porcelain painting on this covered bowl features lines as fine as hair, making it extremely exquisite.

Auspicious Flower Pattern – Lingzhi Mushroom Design:
Lingzhi, a type of auspicious plant, is a common motif in ceramic decoration patterns during the Ming and Qing dynasties. The lingzhi pattern, which combines lingzhi and vines, symbolizes longevity.
This enamel-painted lingzhi-shaped cup features an enamel-painted lingzhi pattern on its exterior, with clearly defined veins on the longevity vine and the graceful, dynamic lotus vines, all rendered with vibrant colors.

Enamel:
Besides the intricate and delicate painting, the enamel-painted Lingzhi chicken heart cup requires four firings in the kiln to complete, each with its own risks.
Enamelware from the Qing Dynasty was originally intended for the enjoyment of emperors and empresses. Enamel is a special type of artificially fired pigment. Before the sixth year of the Yongzheng Emperor's reign (1728), it had to be imported from Europe. After the sixth year of the Yongzheng Emperor's reign, the Qing Palace workshops were able to refine more than 20 kinds of enamel pigments themselves, which is a product of the peak period of ancient Chinese polychrome porcelain craftsmanship.