Dayazhai Guyuexuan Longevity Lantern Jar Cup

The Guyuexuan Longevity Lantern Jar Cup is a collaborative work by several masters, including Master Zhang Jian, a master of overglaze enamel and gold-leaf technique from Jingdezhen.
The intricate and elaborate patterns in enamelware are known in the industry as Guyuexuan. The lines on this jar are as fine as hair. This extremely delicate and inspired work is so exquisite that I feel it would require a magnifying glass to draw.

This jar/cup was custom-made by Zhao Qingtao, the owner of Dayatang Studio. It is slightly larger than usual. Only one pair each of pink and blue was made to order. Absolutely unique. This particular piece is blue.

Lantern pattern:
Lantern patterns are auspicious decorative motifs. Hanging lanterns is believed to pray for the addition of sons and wealth to the family. Lanterns are hung during Chinese New Year celebrations, with the Lantern Festival taking place on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. In some dialects, the word for "lantern" is a homophone for "son," so "lighting a lantern" signifies "adding a son"; therefore, in some regions, it is believed that women walking under lanterns will have many children.

vine pattern:
The exterior is painted with enamel longevity characters and lotus scrolls, the veins of which are clearly visible. The scrolling lotus branches and leaves are graceful and dynamic, with vibrant colors and gold string patterns. Because of its continuous structure, which symbolizes "endless life," the scrolling pattern is also known as "longevity vine."

Lantern patterns were popular during the Ming and Qing dynasties; intertwined vine patterns 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, Pot, Jar and Cup require four firings in the kiln to be completed, 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.