Yushang Cup (Ear Cup), Han Dynasty

Executed in pottery and covered with a translucent green lead glaze, the present vessel retains natural earthen encrustation together with a well-weathered surface acquired through nearly two millennia of burial. Its shallow elliptical bowl, gently curving walls, flat base, and a pair of opposed crescent-shaped lugs faithfully preserve the classic form of the yushang, or ear cup, one of the most iconic ceremonial drinking vessels of the Han dynasty.

Han green glaze was produced using a lead-based glaze with copper as the principal colorant. Owing to the high fluidity and refractive properties of lead glaze, the fired surface possesses a brilliant glass-like appearance with exceptional luminosity. Under directed light, the present vessel displays areas of striking silvery iridescence across the glaze. This phenomenon is consistent with the long-term alteration commonly observed on excavated Han lead-glazed wares. During prolonged burial in a humid environment, groundwater and minerals within the surrounding soil gradually interact with the glaze, producing repeated cycles of microscopic dissolution and mineral redeposition. Over centuries, these processes form a thin crystalline film exhibiting silvery, mica-like reflections, a phenomenon widely known among Chinese archaeologists and collectors as "clam-shell iridescence" or "gold and silver flakes." Such naturally developed iridescence is regarded as one of the most characteristic and aesthetically desirable features of well-preserved Han lead-glazed ceramics.

The yushang, also known as the ear cup, originated during the late Spring and Autumn period, became widespread throughout the Warring States period, and reached its greatest popularity during the Qin and Han dynasties. Produced in pottery, lacquer, bronze, jade, and glass, it was among the most important vessels used for dining, ritual, and ceremonial banquets. According to Huan Yan and Rong Han in Quantitative Design Study of Lacquer Ear Cups in the Qin and Han Dynasties (Art Education Research, no. 18, 2019, pp. 30–33), the ear cup was one of the most common dining vessels of the Han dynasty. Its standard form is elliptical with gently curving sides, a shallow body, a flat base, and a pair of projecting lugs, while some examples are supported on ring feet or tall pedestal feet. Because of its light, boat-like profile, some scholars have suggested that the ear cup evolved from earlier oval vessels and boat-shaped forms.

The earliest literary reference to the yushang appears in the Songs of Chu, describing fragrant wine served in feather cups. During the Han dynasty, the Book of Han likewise records drinking from the feather cup to dispel sorrow, confirming its close association with aristocratic banquets and ceremonial drinking.

The ear cup became inseparably linked with the refined gatherings of Chinese literati. Wang Xizhi's celebrated Preface to the Orchid Pavilion Gathering immortalized the elegant custom of floating wine cups down a winding stream while composing poetry, a practice generally understood to have employed vessels of this form.

Ancient commentators offered different explanations for the name "feather cup." Yan Shigu, quoting Meng Kang in his commentary to the Book of Han, explained that the original vessel resembled a bird with a head, tail, and wings. The more familiar surviving examples retain only the projecting lugs, whose wing-like form gave rise to the name "feather cup."

Historical texts consistently associate the ear cup with ritual drinking and courtly etiquette. The Book of Rites, the writings of Yan Yanzhi, and the Lüshi Chunqiu all employ the term in the context of ceremonial banquets and the formal offering of wine. During such occasions, the cup was traditionally held with both hands as a gesture of respect among the aristocracy. According to traditional ritual practice, the jue wine vessel was reserved for the Son of Heaven, while nobles and officials below the imperial rank customarily drank from the yushang, underscoring its importance within the ceremonial hierarchy of early Chinese society.

Excavated lacquer ear cups from Mawangdui Tomb No. 1 bear inscriptions indicating their use for serving wine, soups, and other foods, confirming the vessel's significant role in both ritual and daily life during the Han dynasty.

羽觞杯（耳杯），汉代

本件作品为陶质，通体施汉代典型绿釉，表面保留自然土沁及两千余年地下埋藏形成的风化痕迹，完整保存羽觞浅腹、椭圆口、弧形壁、平底及双耳的经典造型，为汉代礼仪酒器的典型代表。

汉绿釉以铅为基础釉，以铜为呈色剂。铅釉具有流动性强、折射率高等特点，因此烧成后的釉面光滑平整，釉质清澈透明，具有鲜明的玻璃质感，光泽莹润。尤为难得的是，本件羽觞在灯光照射下，局部釉面泛现银白色光泽，呈现出汉代铅绿釉器特有的“反铅”现象。一般认为，此类现象是器物历经两千余年地下埋藏，在潮湿环境中受到地下水及土壤酸碱物质长期作用，釉层不断发生微观溶蚀与矿物再沉积所形成。长期反复作用后，器表形成一层具有银白色、云母状光泽的结晶膜，考古界及收藏界通常称之为“蛤蜊光”或“金银片”。这种自然形成的釉面变化，不仅见证了汉代铅绿釉陶器漫长的地下埋藏历史，也是保存良好的汉代绿釉器最具观赏性和辨识度的重要特征之一。

羽觞，又称耳杯，为汉代最具代表性的饮食器具之一。其器形始见于春秋晚期，战国时期广泛流行，至秦汉达到鼎盛，陶、漆、铜、玉及玻璃等多种材质均有制作。颜焕、韩荣《秦汉漆耳杯的量化设计研究》（《美术教育研究》2019年第18期，第30–33页）指出，耳杯作为汉代常用饮食器具，其基本形制为椭圆形、弧形壁、浅腹平底，口缘两侧各有一耳，又称“羽觞”；漆耳杯造型轻盈，外形酷似小舟，部分学者认为其由春秋战国时期的椭杯及舟形器演变而来。

“羽觞”一名最早见于《楚辞·招魂》“瑶浆密酌，实羽觞些”，描绘以羽觞盛美酒宴饮之景。《汉书·外戚传》又有“酌羽觞兮消忧”之句，进一步说明羽觞为汉代贵族宴饮的重要酒器。

耳杯与中国文人雅集关系尤为密切。东晋王羲之《兰亭序》所载“一觞一咏，亦足以畅叙幽情”，即描写著名的“曲水流觞”雅集，学界普遍认为其所用酒杯即为羽觞。

关于“羽觞”之名，古代文献亦有不同解释。颜师古注《汉书》引孟康曰：“羽觞，爵也，作生爵，庸雀牍形，有头尾、羽翼。”认为其原型仿鸟形酒爵；而今日所见耳杯，则保留两侧双耳，状若飞鸟展翼，故名“羽觞”。

《礼记·投壶》载“请行觞”，《陶征士诔》有“念昔宴私，举觞相诲”，《吕氏春秋·达郁》载“管子觞桓公”，皆说明“觞”为古代礼仪宴饮中敬酒、劝酒的重要器具。古人宴饮时须双手执耳杯而饮，以示恭敬与礼仪，为当时贵族的重要社交规范。古代礼制中更有“天子饮酒用爵，公卿以下用羽觞”之说，说明羽觞不仅是饮酒器，更是古代礼制等级的重要象征，体现了中国早期宴饮文化中“礼”与“器”相结合的传统。

长沙马王堆一号汉墓出土漆耳杯，书有“君幸酒”“君幸食”等字样，证实耳杯不仅用于饮酒，亦可盛羹及其他食物，是汉代礼仪文化与饮食制度的重要见证。