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Rare ‘chicken cups’ set the market for Chinese art
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WITHIN the world of antique porcelain, “chicken cups” are prized more than all other pieces.
The tiny and delicate cups date back more than 500 years to the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). There are only 16 known Chenghua chicken cups, which are painted with hens and roosters, with most in public museums although four remain in private hands. The cups were fired in imperial kilns and combined with their rarity and age, make them highly sought by art collectors around the world, says Liu Yiqian, a Shanghai-based billionaire and art collector with his own private museum.
“Every time a chicken cup comes on the market, it totally redefines Chinese art prices,” he says.
In July, Liu paid HK$281.2 million (US$36.2 million) for a chicken cup, making it the most expensive Chinese cultural relic ever auctioned. It is also the only known genuine chicken cup in China. In 1999, the last time a similar cup was auctioned, it fetched HK$29 million.
Liu’s cup came from the celebrated collection of Chinese ceramics known as Meiyintang, accumulated over half a century by the Zuellig brothers, who are Swiss pharmaceutical tycoons. The tiny porcelain cup from the Chenghua period dates to between 1465 and 1487 and was exhibited at Long Museum West Bund, established by Liu and his wife Wang Wei, from December 18 to January 15, 2015.
The exhibition of Chicken Cup that started on December 15 attracts nearly 300 visitors per day. The 10,000 limited edition of Chicken Cup that labeled at 288 yuan already sold out for 5,000. Some visitor even claims that their interest in the copied chicken cup far exceeds their interest to see the original one.
“Today I purposely come here to buy five copies of the Chicken Cup that labeled 288 yuan,” said Zhong Kai, a 40-something businessman, “I want to give as new year gifts to my friends. Don’t you think it is very cool! Frankly speaking, I could tell no difference from the original one from a faked through an amateur eye, so I am not going to see the exhibition It is a show off of the rich class.”
The exhibition will end on February 8.
But what has surprised the couple is a new trend of fake chicken cups made in Jingdezhen.
A Taobao search for “chicken cup” turns up nearly 1,000 and prices range from 30 yuan to 5,000 yuan (US$808). Some sellers even claim their item is an exact replica of the cup auctioned at Sotheby’s.
Xiong Jinglan, a ceramic art dealer in Jingdezhen for decades, says the high price of the chicken cup sold to Liu has generated interest in porcelain and helped boost business in Jingdezhen, known as the cradle of Chinese porcelain. Now each kiln is busy making fake versions of the chicken cup and clients have to wait “one or two months” for their order to be completed.
Liu may have inadvertently sparked chicken cup fever through his seemingly casual attitude toward a work of great value. He has been photographed drinking tea from the cup.
“I was amazed that he was using such an expensive cup to drink tea and my first thought was he’d better not to break it,” says Simon Jiang, a 30-something white-collar worker.
“Then I thought maybe I could use a replica of this cup and pretend to be an emperor or the owner of this cup. Isn’t this fun? I bet only experts and scholars can tell the difference between a real one and a good fake.”
Now even Long Museum West Bund is selling replicas of the cup. The museum offers what it says are high-quality copies for 288 yuan each and takes order’s through WeChat. The couple claims they don’t earn money on the cups.
“The technique to make this cup is quite complicated, so it can’t be mass produced,” says Liu’s wife, Wang.
“But it is a good practice for us to develop derivatives of our museum’s collection. We live in an entertainment era. If people enjoy the fake chicken cups, why not?”
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