[清本源 x Gohobi Gallery] Blue & White Chicken Cup with Inner-Impressed Willow Leaf Motif – “Ducks at Play by the Willow Pond” Design (80ml)

This blue-and-white chicken cup captures a moment of gentle joy drawn from classical poetry and natural harmony, where movement, stillness, and seasonal rhythm quietly converge.

The exterior painting depicts a lively yet serene scene of ducks at play among flowing water and softly drifting willow branches. The composition feels relaxed and unforced, evoking the ease of springtime by a calm pond. The painted willow branches and water patterns echo the inner-impressed willow motif, creating a subtle dialogue between interior and exterior decoration, where imagery mirrors itself across layers of porcelain.

Ducks and fresh spring willows have long appeared together in Chinese literary tradition as symbols of awareness, vitality, and ease within nature. The imagery recalls Su Shi’s verse, “Beyond the bamboo, a few peach blossoms bloom; the ducks are the first to sense the warmth of the spring river,” capturing a poetic sensitivity to seasonal change. It also resonates with classical lines describing ducklings paddling through shallow pond water beneath ripening plums, where everyday life and natural beauty unfold without ornament or urgency.

Inside the cup, the willow leaf motif is formed through inner-impressing beneath the glaze, emerging gently rather than asserting itself on the surface. The willow’s supple form symbolises flexibility, grace, and quiet resilience, reinforcing the relaxed rhythm suggested by the exterior scene. Together, the inner and outer designs create a layered visual experience that feels cohesive, contemplative, and alive.

Rendered in refined blue-and-white, the palette remains calm and elegant, allowing brushwork and composition to convey movement without excess. When tea is poured, the surface of the liquid animates the imagery, as if ripples pass through the painted pond, bringing the scene softly to life.

The form follows the classic chicken cup silhouette, compact and well balanced, ideal for gongfu tea drinking. Its proportions encourage attentive handling and unhurried sipping, allowing tea, vessel, and imagery to be appreciated as one.

Diameter: 7.8 cm
Height: 3.9 cm
Capacity: 80 ml

The listed price is for one cup. Each piece is individually handcrafted, and subtle variations in cobalt tone, inner impression, and brushwork are part of its unique character. Customers are welcome to request a private video viewing for a closer look. Orders are shipped using reused or recycled packaging wherever possible.

A tea cup that holds the quiet pleasures of spring—where ducks glide, willows sway, and each sip carries a sense of ease, poetry, and natural grace.