17TH/18TH CENTURY

Details

A FINELY CARVED RHINOCEROS HORN LOTUS-FORM CUP
17TH/18TH CENTURY
The petals of the lotus blossom raised on a conforming foot and carved in the center of the interior with a lotus pod ringed by small upright petals, the openwork handle formed by a chilong climbing to the rim amidst scrolling lotus stems, the interior of the foot carved with a circular seal, zhai
5 1/8 in. (13 cm.) across

Provenance

Christie's, New York, 20 March 1997, lot 235.

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

The mark, zhai, inside the foot is possibly a studio mark of Hu Jianzhong. The same mark was also carved on the interior of the foot of a circular cup of more simple lotus shape from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, sold in these rooms, 1 December 1994, lot 13. The same mark, along with an inscription and a square seal that reads 'The seal of Hu Jianzhong', also appears on a rhinoceros horn cup in the Östasiatska Museet, Stockholm, and is illustrated by J. Chapman, The Art of Rhinoceros Horn Carving in China, London, 1999, p. 61, no. 31. The author also illustrates a cup of very similar shape with a similar openwork handle carved with a dragon amidst lotus stems, p. 61, no. 31.

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