Lot 3447. A finely reticulated and carved rhinoceros horn libation cup, Ming dynasty, 17th century; 15.7 cm, 6 1/8 in. Estimate: 800,000-1,200,000 HKD. Lot sold 1,000,000 HKD (127,560 USD). Courtesy Sotheby's.
the lustrously patinated variegated brown conically shaped horn carved with a deep U-shaped vessel modelled in the form of a large furled lotus leaf with an undulating rim, depicted borne on a stem surrounded by gnarled leafy stalks issuing budding magnolia blooms, lychees and a millet stalk on the exterior, the cluster of tied stalks tapering to a rounded tip, wood stand.
Provenance: Collection of Walter O. Faulkner, acquired on or before 1936.
Lynn Museum, Lynn, Massachusetts, USA, inv. no. 3966, donated by Walter O. Faulkner in 1942.
Note: Naturalistically fashioned in the form of a furled lotus leaf set upon a slender stem intertwined with gnarled leafy stalks, the present cup demonstrates the remarkable talent and creativity of the carver who skilfully utilised the entire length of the rhinoceros horn to create a vessel pleasing to all the senses. A sense of vitality is created through the outstanding rendering of budding magnolia blooms and lychees adorning the exterior of the vessel, which capture their different textures while drawing attention to the warm honey tones of the material.
Related lotus leaf rhinoceros horn cups include one in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Rhinoceros Horn in the Collection of The Palace Museum, Beijing, 2012, pl. 10; another in the National Trust, Snowshill Manor, Broadway, Worcestershire, illustrated in Jan Chapman, The Art of Rhinoceros Horn Carving in China, London, 1999, pl. 210; a cup in the Arthur M. Sackler collection, published in Thomas Fok, Connoisseurship of Rhinoceros Horn Carving in China, Hong Kong, 1999, pl. 92; and a fourth example from the collections of Edward T. Chow and Franklin Chow, exhibited in One Man’s Taste. Treasures from the Lakeside Pavilion, Galleries of Baur Collection, Geneva, 1988, cat. no. R12, and sold in these rooms, 8th April 2011, lot 2703.
Sotheby's. Gems of Chinese Art – The Speelman Collection II, Hong Kong, 03 oct. 2018