Page 166 - Fine Chinese Works of Art Bonhams Hong Kong May 2018

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A RARE RHINOCEROS HORN LIBATION CUP The present lot is exquisitely carved and detailed, with elegant and
17th/18th century crisply carved chrysanthemum and peony petals, fully exhibiting the
Sumptuously carved around the exterior as a craggy mountain virtuosity of the master carver and reflecting the highly refined taste of
cliff superimposed by a luxuriant growth of naturalistically carved the literati.
chrysanthemums and peonies, with meticulously detailed petals and
leaves, the peonies on long stems rise from the base forming the Chrysanthemums feature prominently on this libation cup and have
handle and creep into the interior similarly carved as irregular rocks, long been closely associated with Autumn and the hermetic poet Tao
the horn of dark-chocolate tone. Qian (365-427 AD). After leaving office to avoid the troubles of the
14.7cm (5 3/4in) long mundane world, Tao Qian returned to his rustic estate and planted
numerous chrysanthemums. Since then, the chrysanthemum has
HK$300,000 - 500,000 come to symbolise the literati ideal of tranquil solitude in one’s Autumn
US$38,000 - 64,000 years.

十七/十八世紀 犀角雕花卉紋杯

Provenance:
An important European private collection, and thence by descent

來源：
重要歐洲私人收藏，後由家族繼承

162 | BONHAMS