The cup and saucer were made in China

The cup and saucer are stamped with a stamp of the Tongzhi reign in China:The cup and saucer were made between 1862 and 1900

The cup and saucer were given to Sarah Armstrong by Mei Quong Tart and his wife. Sarah Armstrong worked as a head waitress in one of Mei Quong Tart's restaurants in the mid-late 1890s.

Cup and saucer, porcelain, enamelled and gilded, made in Qing Dynasty, Tongzhi reign, China, 1862-1873.
The cup stands on a high footrim and has an inverted bell shape. It has a ring handle with trailing lower terminal set to one side. The exterior features apricot onglaze enamel ground with gilt decoration of phoenix and clouds with two reserved quatrefoil cartouche panels depicting flowers and birds in famille rose enamels. A third smaller reserved circular panel on the front is inscribed "QT" (Quong Tart) in overglaze black. The interior is clear glazed with a narrow band of apricot enamel and gilt encircling below the rim. The underside is clear glazed and features a chinese character stamp.
The circular saucer has a high footrim, steeply rounded sides with everted rim and a deep flat well. It is decorated with the same apricot ground with gilt phoenix and clouds and features four reserved quatrefoil cartouche panels with three depicting flowers and birds and the fourth with a "QT" in black. The underside is clear glazed with a central red chinese character stamp.

Made: China; 1862 - 1873


Owned: Tart, Mei Quong; Sydney

Under base of cup and saucer, red stamp, Tonghzi reign seal character marks in onglaze iron red "Made during the Tonghzi reign of the Qing dynasty"

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1862 - 1873