17TH/18TH CENTURY

Details

**A LARGE RHINOCEROS HORN 'GRAPE VINE' LIBATION CUP
17TH/18TH CENTURY
Of open blossom form, carved in high relief on the exterior with a fruit-laden grape vine which continues over the rim at the handle end opposite two budding branches on the interior at the other end, with a five-character inscription carved on the exterior, shading from dark, almost blackish brown at the rim to a deep honey color
7¼ in. (18.4 cm.) long

Special notice

Prospective purchasers are advised that several countries prohibit the importation of property containing materials from endangered species, including but not limited to coral, ivory and tortoiseshell. Accordingly, prospective purchasers should familiarize themselves with relevant customs regulations prior to bidding if they intend to import this lot into another country.

Lot Essay

The inscription, Shi Ling zeng Song Cen, may be translated, 'Shi Ling's gift to Song Cen'. The inscription appears to have been added later when the cup was given as a gift.
Shi Ling is an art name of the artist Zhang Xianghe, who was active in the 18th century. Song Cen's dates are Jiaqing/Daoguang period.
A cup of similarly large size, also carved with abundantly laden grape vines, and carved in low relief with the carver's mark, Zizhen, in the collection of Mr. Franklin Chow, is illustrated by T. Fok, Connoisseurship of Rhinoceros Horn Carving in China, 1999, no. 107.

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