QING DYNASTY, LATE 17TH/18TH CENTURY

Details

A LARGE RHINOCEROS HORN 'GRAPE VINE' LIBATION CUP
QING DYNASTY, LATE 17TH/18TH CENTURY
Of leaf form, carved in high relief on the exterior with two large stems forming the handle and descending towards the base and curving into a broad foot before rising again up the sides as fruit-laden grape vine issuing large palmate leaves and spring-like tendrils, shading from dark brown at the foot to a deep honey colour around the sides
6 1/2 in. (16.7 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, tortoiseshell and crocodile. 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

This ingeniously carved cup belongs to a small group of finely carved cups with fruit decoration. Another example carved with fruiting vine around the sides from the Franklin Cow Collection bearing a Zi Zhen signature was sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 8 April 2011, lot 2716. Two examples in the Palace Museum Collection are illustrated in Bamboo, Wood and Rhinoceros Horn Carvings, The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Beijing, nos. 114 and 130; and an example in the Staatliches Museum fur Volkerskunde, Munich is illustrated by J. Chapman, The Art of Rhinoceros Horn Carving in China, London, 1999, p. 172, no. 222.

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