17TH CENTURY

Details

A LARGE 'EIGHT IMMORTALS' RHINOCEROS HORN CUP
17TH CENTURY
Finely carved in high relief with the Eight Immortals arranged four to each side, and with Shoulao seated on a ledge below the pouring end, the god of Longevity flanked by two attendants, one holding a staff, the other a feather fan behind the immortal's head, with a recumbent deer and a crane on the rockwork base below, the handle at the opposite end formed by two fruiting trees, one a peach tree, just over the rim on the interior the head of a dragon is shown emerging from clouds, of dark, slightly reddish-brown color
6 7/8 in. (17.6 cm.) long, box

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.

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Lot Essay

A few cups carved with the Eight Immortals and Shoulao have been published. One of smaller size (9 cm.), dated to the 17th century, is illustrated by T. Fok, Connoisseurship of Rhinoceros Horn Carving in China, Hong Kong, 1999, no. 82, and subsequently sold in our Hong Kong rooms, from the Songzhutang Collection, 27 May 2008, lot 1726. Another cup carved with the same theme, from the Chester Beatty Library, Dublin, is illustrated by J. Chapman, The Art of Rhinoceros Horn Carving in China, London, 1999, figs. 270-272. See, also, the example sold in these rooms, 16 September 2010, lot 1274.

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