This Chinese export porcelain cup, dating to the 18th century, is finely decorated in grisaille enamels with a floral spray across the body.
The flowers, rendered in delicate shades of black and gray, mimic the look of an engraved print, a style highly fashionable in Europe at the time. The blossoms are each outlined with careful brushwork and occasionally accented with gilded highlights.
Executed on a thin white porcelain body from Jingdezhen, cups like this were made for the European export market, where grisaille wares appealed to neoclassical tastes and to collectors who appreciated their subtle elegance compared to more colorful famille rose pieces.
Today, these floral grisaille cups are admired for their refined monochrome palette, restrained decoration, and cross-cultural artistry, standing as elegant survivors of the 18th-century porcelain trade.
