This novel cup collection stresses the exquisite floral motif decoration of the saucer, with the handle-less cups forming flower corollas when viewed from above. Available in both espresso and cappuccino versions, each collection comes beautifully gift-boxed with a collection brochure.
Taiwanese artist Michael Lin has gained international recognition for his large-scale painted walls and floors reproducing the floral motifs typical of the domestic textile tradition of Taiwan. Lin was born in Tokyo in 1964 and lives and works in Taiwan and Paris and regularly exhibits in Asia, Europe and the United States.
From November 2006, the Michael Lin illy collection espresso and cappuccino cups are for sale at the Italian illy web-site. There are two versions of packages. One where all 6 cups and saucers are packed in one special gift box and a version which contains three boxes with two cups.
More interesting is the fact that the cups do not say "illy collection" anymore, but illy changed it into "illy Art Collection" wich can be seen on the inside of the cups and on the bottom of the saucers and the cups. The cups are all the same but the saucers are decorated different as you can see on the picture below. The cups are only signed and the saucers are both signed and numbered.