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Trick Cup
Trick Cup

Trick Cup

Date17th century
PeriodLate Ming (1368–1644) or early Qing dynasty (1644–1911/12)
MediumDehua ware; porcelain with transparent glaze
DimensionsOverall: 2 1/4 × 3 1/4 in. (5.7 × 8.3 cm)
ClassificationsCeramics
Credit LineGift of Ira and Nancy Koger, 2001
Object numberSN11122.149
Trick cups, called <i>gong dao bei</i> (“fairness cups”), feature in a practical joke popular in the late Ming dynasty. A hole obscured in the base of a small sculpture inside the cup feeds into an inverted U-shaped tube that leads outward to a hole beneath the cup. If the cup is filled beyond around three-quarters of its volume, the pressure of the liquid flowing into the tube will cause the drink to empty through the base onto the lap of the greedy drinker.
On View
On view
Location
  • Center for Asian Art, 3rd floor, Lobby, Case C