17TH CENTURY

Details

**A Rare Large Inscribed Rhinoceros Horn Libation Cup
17th century
Finely carved in high relief around the sides with a gnarled branch of blossoming prunus which forms the coiled base, continues up one end to form the handle, and spans the interior at the other end after seemingly having pierced the side of the vessel, all against a ground of dense whorl pattern on the burled exterior, one of the subsidiary branches carved with a six-character inscription, yi zhi xian you shan lin chun
7 7/8in. (19.5cm.) long

Special notice

Notice Regarding the Sale of Ivory and Tortoiseshell Prospective purchasers are advised that several countries prohibit the importation of property containing ivory or 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, yi zhi xian you shan lin chun, may be translated, 'One branch of plum blossom bloomed in the Palace in the Spring'.

Rhinoceros horn cups carved with a similar whorled wood grain pattern are quite rare. One such cup from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections sold in these rooms 1 December 1994, lot 39, is illustrated by T. Fok, Connoisseurship of Rhinoceros Horn Carving in China, Hong Kong, 1999, no. 109, where another from the collection of Dora Wong, no. 110, is also illustrated. Another cup carved with whorled wood grain is illustrated in the Min Chiu Society Thirtieth Anniversary exhibition catalogue, Selected Treasures of Chinese Art, Hong Kong Museum of Art, 1990-91, no. 235.

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