This Chinese export porcelain cup, dating to the mid-18th century, is finely decorated in grisaille and gilt with a scene of Juno and her peacock—a subject drawn from European classical mythology.
The Roman goddess Juno, queen of the gods and protectress of marriage, is often depicted accompanied by a peacock, her sacred bird. Here she appears seated in an elegant pose, while the bird fans its tail nearby, the scene executed in delicate monochrome enamels based on European prints sent to Canton as design templates.
Porcelain cups of this type were made for the Western export market, appealing to the neoclassical taste for mythological themes and refined decoration. The use of grisaille (black and white enameling) with touches of gold reflects a popular 18th-century fashion that imitated the look of engraved prints, highly prized among European collectors.
Small but sophisticated, this cup represents the fusion of Chinese craftsmanship and European iconography, a hallmark of Qing export porcelain. Today, it is valued both for its artistry and as a tangible expression of the global exchange of ideas and aesthetics in the 18th century.
