A MINIATURE WHITE JADE STEM CUP 18th century (2)A MINIATURE WHITE JADE STEM CUP18th centuryDelicately carved with a U-shaped body standing on a tall splayed foot, flat base, the undecorated stone of an attractive even white tone, box. 5.2cm (2in) high (2).十八世紀 白玉小高足杯Provenance:Sotheby's Hong Kong, 30 April 1997, lot 782來源:香港蘇富比，1997年4月30日，拍品編號782The miniature size of the present lot suggests that it was probably made for a curio box set or used for stronger liquor. The use of stem cups became popular in the Yuan dynasty and its popularity continued during the Ming and Qing dynasties. See a 15th/16th century jade stem cup in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, illustrated in Chinese Jades, M. Wilson, London, 2004, no.34.白玉質，細平口，杯身下收於高圈足，玉質白潤。 此杯容量較小，或為百寶盒中物，或為高度酒所備。明代之後蒸餾技術進步，酒度數隨之升高，同時酒杯容量逐漸變小，使不易醉也。高足杯本為北方遊牧民族所用酒具，長把易於馬上把持，此器型由元代流行至明代，參考英國維多利亞及艾伯特博物館藏一件十五/十六世紀高足杯，見M. Wilson著，《Chinese Jades》，倫敦，2004年，圖34。