Cup with Daoist Figures

During the Qing dynasty, Suzhou’s best products were sent north to the capital. Those that met imperial approval were sometimes graced with Qianlong’s mark, added by calligraphers and jade workers at court. The lack of a Qianlong mark on the Cleveland cup suggests that it might not have reached the court. Previously dated to the Yuan dynasty (1271–1368), new scholarship dates this cup to the Qing period.