MING DYNASTY, 16TH/17TH CENTURY

Details

A SMALL FLORAL-LOBED RHINOCEROS HORN LIBATION CUP
MING DYNASTY, 16TH/17TH CENTURY
The quatrefoil cup has elegantly formed flared sides ribbed and grooved in the shape of four petals, carved in shallow relief around the exterior with a continuous undulating petal design, between keyfret bands at the rim and on the conforming pedestal foot. The openwork handle formed by entwined chilong, the larger of which is grasping the rim of the cup and peering into the interior. The material of a reddish-brown tone.
4 3/4 in. (12.1 cm.) wide, wood stand, box

Provenance

Sold at Sotheby's New York, 5 June 1982, lot 334

Literature

T. Fok, Connoisseurship of Rhinoceros Horn Carving in China, Hong Kong, 1999, p. 52, no. 5
Art and Collection, 2001, issue 105, Yi liang xijiao san liang jin, p. 102

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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Angela Kung

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Lot Essay

The design and form of this cup is reminiscent of silverwork of the mid-Ming period.

Compare a cup in this fluted floral form from the Gerard Levy Collection, illustrated by J. Chapman, The Art of Rhinoceros Horn Carving in China, London, 1999, p. 149, no. 173.

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