MING DYNASTY, EARLY 17TH CENTURY

Details

A FINELY CARVED 'PAVILION' RHINOCEROS HORN LIBATION CUP
MING DYNASTY, EARLY 17TH CENTURY
The thick walls deeply carved and pierced to depict plantain, wutong and maple trees growing by the banks of a river, finely detailed with incised rippled water and blossoming lotus plants, carved to one side with a crouching attendant washing an inkstone beside a large pavilion on the riverbank, the river meandering between the rockwork to the underside of the base, the handle formed by a large pierced rocky outcrop, the interior carved above the handle with a gnarled pine tree with leafy branches growing along both sides below the rim, the material of deep caramel tone with pale amber shading
6¾ in. (17.1 cm.) wide, wood stand, box

Provenance

The Songzhutang Collection, previously sold at Christie's London, 16 November 1998, lot 113

Literature

T. Fok, Connoisseurship of Rhinoceros Horn Carving in China, Hong Kong, 1999, p. 222, no. 163

Exhibited

Hong Kong Museum of Art, Metal, Wood, Water, Fire and Earth: Gems of Antiquities Collections in Hong Kong, 2002-2005

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, tortoiseshell and crocodile. 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 present cup is well carved with differing layers to provide a varying degree of depth in the landscape. Instead of using tall trees to fashion the handle, in this instance ornamental rocks are rendered in openwork. The imagery of lotus blooms growing on rippled water with only a solitary depiction of an attendant washing an inkstone in the river, creates a scholarly theme of a lazy summer, drawing the viewer into the lone pavilion for a respite from the summer heat.

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