Page 176 - Sotheby's Speelman Collection Oct. 3, 2018

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A FINELY RETICULATED AND 明十七世紀 犀角鏤雕一把蓮盃

CARVED RHINOCEROS HORN
來源：
LIBATION CUP Walter O. Faulkner 收藏，購於1936年或更早
林恩博物館（Lynn Museum），麻薩諸塞州，林恩，藏品編號
MING DYNASTY, 17TH 3966，1942年由 Walter O. Faulkner 捐贈
CENTURY

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
15.7 cm, 6⅛ in.
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.

◉ HK$ 800,000-1,200,000
US$ 102,000-153,000

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.

174 SOTHEBY’S 蘇富比