Dayazhai Inner Sutra Enamel Lotus Scroll Tea Cup

The lotus-patterned enamel tea cup with an inner design is a collaborative work by several masters, including Zhang Jian, a master of overglaze enamel and gold-painting techniques from Jingdezhen.
The interior is decorated with the Heart Sutra written in underglaze blue, while the exterior features a lotus scroll design in enamel, and the gold feet are carved with a swastika pattern. This requires cross-disciplinary collaboration between underglaze blue porcelain, carved porcelain, and enamelware.

Inner blue and white porcelain:
The Heart Sutra is written in a lively and elegant style in underglaze blue. Underglaze blue is one of the decorative techniques for porcelain and a way to combine enamel colors.

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 Pot 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.