Dayazhai Enamel Lotus Scroll Waist Drum Cup

The enamel-painted lotus-patterned waist drum cup was created through the collaboration of several masters, including Zhang Jian, a master of overglaze enamel and gold-painting techniques in Jingdezhen.

Floral scroll pattern:
The exterior is painted with enamel-painted lotus scrolls, the veins of the leaves clearly defined. The scrolling lotus branches and leaves are graceful and dynamic, with vibrant colors. Available in a pair, one in pink and one in green. Because of its continuous structure, symbolizing "endless life," the scrolling pattern is also known as "longevity vine." The scrolling pattern originated around the Han Dynasty and flourished during the Northern and Southern Dynasties, Sui and Tang Dynasties, Song and Yuan Dynasties, and Ming and Qing Dynasties.

Enamel:
Besides the intricate and exquisite painting, the Guyuexuan Palace Lantern Teapot requires five 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.

A myriad of flowers are gradually becoming dazzling.

"I should be laughing amidst the chaos of a hundred flowers, for I am now a carefree man in this world."
—Tang Dynasty, Xiong Rudeng, "On Duty, Encountering the Wind, I Thank the Spring Scenery of Xiangzhong"

Just as we are already very familiar with magnolias, peonies, and crabapples, today we'll talk about camellias.

The ancients said that camellias combine the elegance of peonies with the purity of lotuses, and Xiaoya thinks they also know how to choose the right time to bloom.

Now the chrysanthemums have withered and the plum blossoms have not yet bloomed; there are no flowers to see, so we can only look at this.

Although camellias are flowers, they are usually unscented. When they do develop a fragrance, it is like the floral scent of oolong tea, delicate and lingering.

The flowers of the tea tree are quite different from those of the ornamental camellia; they are more like a combination of lotus and plum blossom.

The flower's stamens are golden like a lotus, and its petals are pure white like plum blossoms. Some have four petals, and some have five, making it look exceptionally pure and innocent.

The falling petals are quite unique; unlike the petals of lotus and plum blossoms that fall one by one in a rain of petals, they fall in a different way.

The camellia's petals fall dramatically; once they wither, the entire flower falls, displaying a beauty that seems determined to "not grow old in the world."

In recent years, some tea enthusiasts have started making flower tea from tea tree blossoms. Although I've never tried it, I've heard it has a delicate aroma, a mellow taste, and a slightly bitter flavor that dissipates quickly. I'll definitely try a cup sometime.