Square wine goblet with dragon handle

The body of this gray wine goblet is quite simple; the only decoration is the split and curling tail of the dragon. The handle, in contrast, is quite complex. The body of the dragon is looped around a small square handle, and the use of squares for both cup and handle suggests a metal prototype. The interior of the vessel is roughly finished, usually an indication of a Ming dynasty date. However, there is considerable evidence that this roughness is an intentional archaism and that the piece was actually created in the nineteenth century.