A SUPERB CARVED RHINOCEROS HORN CUP
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A SUPERB CARVED RHINOCEROS HORN CUP

Details
A SUPERB CARVED RHINOCEROS HORN CUP
QING DYNASTY, 17TH/18TH CENTURY, SIGNED WITH THE MAKER'S MARK ZHI SHENG

The cup is exquisitely carved in high relief with a naturalistic scene of a cockerel and hen with a clutch of chicks foraging for food amidst rocks and sprays of changcun flowers and chrysanthemum, the details of the fowls' feathers intricately rendered, the interior of the cup with a spray of cockscomb springing up from rockwork, the base with the maker's sealmark Zhi Sheng, the patina of an attractive rich honey-brown tone (small restored rim chip)
3 3/8 in. (8.5 cm.) high
Provenance
From a European collector, acquired in London, 1961
Special notice
Notice Regarding the Sale of Material from Endangered Species. 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 present cup is one of the finest examples by the well-known carver You Kan, whose hao is Zhi Sheng. You Kan was a prolific carver, and according to Jan Chapman in The Art of Rhinoceros Horn Carving in China, London, 1999, p. 139, it is possible that "he is the famous You Bei (Rhinoceros Horn Cup You) who lived in Wuxi and was summoned by the Kangxi Emperor to travel to the capital and work in the imperial ateliers. The fact that a figure cup signed by You Kan (Zhi Sheng) is part of the Beijing Palace Museum collection, confirms that he was a palace carver and reinforces his identification as the You Bei who was active during the period, c. 1660-1720."

The carving on the present cup is exceptional for its superb quality, naturalistic detail and unusual subject-matter. A rhino horn cup with a very similar composition of cockerel, hen and chicks, and signed You Kan Zhi Sheng, formerly in the collection of Dr Ip Yee, is illustrated by J. Chapman, ibid., pl. 250. Another signed cup with a stylistically comparable design of mandarin ducks and lotus, is in the Beijing Palace Museum, illustrated in Bamboo, Wood Ivory and Rhinoceros Horn Carvings, The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, vol. 44, Commerical Press Hong Kong, 2002, pl. 127.

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