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Lot Essay
The inscription reads:
Zizi lianjia di, yuyi dingxuan huang
It may be translated as 'To attain First Rank*, Heaven and Earth shall be at (one's) command'.
*This is in reference to achieving the first placement in the Qing civil service examination. The meaning is derived from the word jia which is often associated with the crab's hard shell. In this instance the shell is compared to an armour, jia, and is homophonous to the classification of successful candidates in the palace examination.
The carving on the cup is exceptional in its superb quality, naturalistic detail and subject-matter. The lotus, one of the Eight Treasures of Buddhism is symbolic of purity and became one of the most popular themes in rhinoceros horn carving. The inclusion of a crab is also a known theme. The stalk of millet held in its pincers, sui, together with the crab, xie, is a rebus for harmony. The theme is further discussed by J. Chapman, The Art of Rhinoceros Horn Carving in China, Hong Kong, 1999, p. 188.
A similar but unsigned rhinoceros horn waterdropper with crab and millet from the R.H.R. Palmer Collection was sold at Christie's London, 4 November 2008, lot 31. A related rhinoceros horn waterdropper but detailed with insects is in the Shanghai Museum collection, bearing a 'You Kan' sealmark, and is illustrated by T. Fok, Connoisseurship of Rhinoceros Horn Carving in China, Hong Kong, 1999, p. 151, no.101. Another example again signed by the maker Zhi Sheng from the Songzhutang collection, sold at Christie's Hong Kong, Important Chinese Rhinoceros Horn Carvings from the Songzhutang Collection, 27 May 2008, lot 1716.
For an explanation on how the carver worked the rhinoceros horn in order to bend the spout, refer to T. Fok, op. cit., Hong Kong, 1999, p. 29.
Zizi lianjia di, yuyi dingxuan huang
It may be translated as 'To attain First Rank*, Heaven and Earth shall be at (one's) command'.
*This is in reference to achieving the first placement in the Qing civil service examination. The meaning is derived from the word jia which is often associated with the crab's hard shell. In this instance the shell is compared to an armour, jia, and is homophonous to the classification of successful candidates in the palace examination.
The carving on the cup is exceptional in its superb quality, naturalistic detail and subject-matter. The lotus, one of the Eight Treasures of Buddhism is symbolic of purity and became one of the most popular themes in rhinoceros horn carving. The inclusion of a crab is also a known theme. The stalk of millet held in its pincers, sui, together with the crab, xie, is a rebus for harmony. The theme is further discussed by J. Chapman, The Art of Rhinoceros Horn Carving in China, Hong Kong, 1999, p. 188.
A similar but unsigned rhinoceros horn waterdropper with crab and millet from the R.H.R. Palmer Collection was sold at Christie's London, 4 November 2008, lot 31. A related rhinoceros horn waterdropper but detailed with insects is in the Shanghai Museum collection, bearing a 'You Kan' sealmark, and is illustrated by T. Fok, Connoisseurship of Rhinoceros Horn Carving in China, Hong Kong, 1999, p. 151, no.101. Another example again signed by the maker Zhi Sheng from the Songzhutang collection, sold at Christie's Hong Kong, Important Chinese Rhinoceros Horn Carvings from the Songzhutang Collection, 27 May 2008, lot 1716.
For an explanation on how the carver worked the rhinoceros horn in order to bend the spout, refer to T. Fok, op. cit., Hong Kong, 1999, p. 29.