18TH/19TH CENTURY

Details

AN UNUSUAL AGATE ANIMAL-FORM CUP
18TH/19TH CENTURY
The hollowed vessel is well carved as a goat with backward-turned head seated beside a mythical beast with a single horn, grasping a leafy stem in its jaws. The well-polished stone is of soft butterscotch yellow and soft brick-red color.
3 7/8 in. (9.8 cm.) long, wood stand

Provenance

Y.C. Chen, Hong Kong, 1970s.

Brought to you by

Michael Bass

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Lot Essay

The inspiration for this unusual agate cup may have been animal-form cups carved from rhinoceros horn, such as the examples illustrated by J. Chapman, The Art of Rhinoceros Horn Carving in China, London, 1999, pp. 83-4, nos. 56-59, which includes a recumbent goat, no. 57.

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