Page 154 - Nov 28 Chinese Art Hong Kong

THE PROPERTY OF A LADY 女士藏品
Lots 54 - 55
54 Y
A RARE RHINOCEROS HORN
‘LOTUS LEAF’ LIBATION CUP
17th/18th century
The furled lotus leaf cup carved in delicate
detail with naturalistic veins running down
the exterior, deftly depicting a toad and three
snails under the rim issuing from long leafy
meandering stems bearing lotus leaves,
blooms and pods, the horn of honey-brown
tone darkening towards the tip.
19cm (7 1/2in) long
HK$80,000 - 120,000
US$10,000 - 15,000
十七/十八世紀 犀角雕蓮花杯
152 | BONHAMS
Related rhinoceros horn libation cups
utilising the full horn, with a primary flower
or leaf borne on gnarled flowering branches,
can be found in a number of variations:
see a mallow-shaped libation cup, early
Provenance: Ming dynasty, in the Qing Court Collection,
Michael K.J. Heihs illustrated in The Complete Collection of
Sotheby’s London, 18 June 1998, lot 1710 Treasures of the Palace Museum: Bamboo,
A Hong Kong private collection Wood, Ivory and Rhinoceros Horn Carvings,
Hong Kong, 2002, pl.109; a cup carved
來源： with nandina and narcissus, in the Chester
Michael K.J. Heihs收藏 Beatty Library, and another carved with lotus
倫敦蘇富比，1998年6月18日，拍品編號1710 leaf and water plants, in Snowshill Manor,
香港私人收藏 Worcester; see J.Chapman, The Art of
Rhinoceros Horn Carving in China, London,
1999, pls.198 and 210; and see a cup
with lotus and chi-dragon, in the Arthur M.
Sackler Collection, and two others of lotus
form, illustrated by T.Fok, Connoisseurship
of Rhinoceros Horn Carving in China, Hong
Kong, 1999, pls.92 (17th century), 95 (early
19th century) and 96 (18th century).
The present lot is notable for the deft carving
of the three-legged toad, which represents
the auspicious wish for wealth as it often
shown lured by a string of cash held by the
Immortal Liu Hai; the seed-bearing lotus pod
symbolises fertility, and the two elements
combine for auspicious wishes, for wealth
and sons.
Compare a related larger rhinoceros horn
‘cranes’ libation cup, 18th century, which
was sold in our London Rooms, 6 November
2014, lot 416; and see also another related
example of a rhinoceros horn ‘lotus’ libation
cup, 17th century, which was sold at
Christie’s Paris, 14 December 2011, lot 206.
器身以整枚犀角雕成，以一大片蓮葉為杯的
主體，再佈以數朵不同姿態的蓮花、蓮葉及
蓮蓬，杯底透雕多枝蓮花枝，曲折通幽，越
上杯口，杯口下雕一隻三足蟾蜍及三隻小蝸
牛，極富動感。此作品採用透雕及浮雕等技
法，刀工細緻，葉脈分明，顏色瑩潤似蜂
蜜，是犀角雕中的佳作。古時劉海戲蟾蜍被
視為吉祥的象徵，劉海騎在金蟾上，手中舞
著一串錢，因此三足蟾蜍是財富的象徵。蓮
蓬包含多顆蓮子，寓意多子多孫。
明代以降，工匠開始以整枚犀角隨形透雕成
杯，多見以蓮花、玉蘭、荷葉等為主題製成
各種文玩，大多風格古雅、工藝精湛。見北
京故宮博物院清宮舊藏一件明早期犀角雕折
枝葵花形杯，《故宮博物院珍藏文物珍品全
集：竹木牙角雕刻》，香港，2002年，頁
120，圖109；另見一犀角雕水仙花形杯，以
及另一荷葉形杯，著錄於J.Chapman，《中
國犀角雕刻藝術》，倫敦，1999年，圖198
及210。見塞克樂舊藏一件與本品形制類似
之犀角杯，以及另外兩件荷葉杯，著錄於霍
滿堂，《中國犀角雕刻珍賞》，香港，1999
年，圖92（十七世紀），95（十九世紀早
期）及96（十八世紀）。
倫敦邦瀚斯曾售出一件十八世紀犀角雕仙鶴
杯可資比較，2014年11月6日，拍品編號416
；另見巴黎佳士得售出一件十七世紀犀角雕
荷葉杯，2011年12月14日，拍品編號206。