AN AUSPICIOUS 'MONKEY AND DEER' CUP AND SAUCER, XIANFENG MARK AND PERIOD
China, 1851-1861. The tall cup with a short foot and everted rim, the saucer with deep rounded sides, each with gilt rims and painted in bright enamels with a monkey in a pine tree above a spotted deer with a lingzhi sprig in its mouth, surrounded by rockwork and further lingzhi, with a butterfly and magpies in flight. The bases each with an iron-red four-character seal mark Xianfeng nianzhi and of the period. (2)

Provenance: The property of an English gentleman, acquired in the 1990s and early 2000s. The saucer with an old paper label, manually inscribed in brown ink 'No. 2. […]'.
Condition: Excellent condition with only minor old wear and firing flaws.

Weight: 72.0 g (the cup) and 82.9 g (the saucer)
Dimensions: Height 7 cm (the cup), Diameter 12.7 cm (the saucer)

The present lot is filled with auspicious imagery. 'Bird' (que) is a pun for 'noble rank' (jue), and magpies are traditionally associated with joy. The deer (lu) is both a homophone for riches or official emolument and a symbol of longevity and wealth. Lingzhi are also associated with longevity and therefore often depicted together with deer. Depictions of monkeys convey a wish for high rank, as the Chinese word for monkey (hou) is a homophone for 'high-ranking noble' or 'commander'. The word for butterfly (die) is homophonous with 'to repeat', so adding a butterfly to a scene repeats the wish of the other symbols. Butterflies are also seen as symbols of happiness in marriage, as well as everlasting romantic love, and can also symbolize a wish for long life.

咸豐款及年代猴鹿紋杯碟套
中國，1851-1861年。杯撇口，深腹，圈足；碟子深圓腹。杯碟套都是描金邊沿，明亮的琺琅繪製猴鹿紋：猴子蹲在松樹上，似乎在戯蝶；鹿啣靈芝臥在樹下。碟子圈足內四字鐵紅釉“咸豐年製”。

來源：一位英國紳士的財產，於 1990 年代和 2000 年代初購置。碟子圈足內有紙標籤，用棕色墨水手寫“No. 2. […]”字樣。
品相：狀況極佳，只有輕微的舊時磨損和燒製瑕疵。

重量：杯子72.0 克，碟子82.9 克
尺寸：杯高 7 釐米，碟子直徑12.7 釐米