犀角雕「天祿永昌」臥鹿盃

This extremely rare cup is one of the finest examples of a small group of rhinoceros horn cups modelled in the form of deer or deer-like creatures dating to the 17th and 18th centuries. Two further examples are illustrated alongside the current cup by J. Chapman, The Art of Rhinoceros Horn Carving in China, London, 1999, pp. 83-84, nos. 56 and 58. The first, from the Water, Pine and Stone Retreat Collection, previously sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 25 November 1987, lot 490, is of particular interest because it bears both a Wanli reign mark and a Bao Tiancheng sealmark which helps to date this group. The present carving is of a more restrained and simple form possibly pointing to an even earlier dating. Unlike the Wanli-marked example, the present cup is ingeniously designed to rest comfortably on its wide base so the splendid carving can be admired but the head has also been cleverly carved to form the base for the cup and allow it to balance safely upside down. The second cup, illustrated by J. Chapman, formerly in the Dr. Ip Yee Collection is similarly designed as a dual purpose piece. Two further examples in this group include a cup sold at Sotheby's New York, 20 November 1973, lot 48 and another cup in the Jules Speelman Collection.

The inscription on the present cup is a play on the word lu which is a homophonous for both 'deer' and 'wealth'.