Page 170 - Fine Chinese Works of Art Bonhams Hong Kong May 2018

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A RARE AND LARGE RHINOCEROS HORN ‘VAISHNAVA’ BOWL According to the sacred Vaishnava text, Vishnu Purana, a rhinoceros
Nepal, 17th/18th century horn libation vessel can consume all sin. The yoni represents the
Of yoni form raised on a short shallow foot and plain flat base, finely female generative organ, believed to be the seat of tejas, spiritual
carved in relief to the rounded end of the interior with Vishnu and power and ardour. It is also worshiped as a symbol of fertility. Thus this
Lakshmi wearing crowns and framed by a mandorla, above the rare bowl would have been highly venerated for its symbolic powers as
Buddha’s footprints in the centre, the rim of the vessel carved with a ritual vessel.
nagas, the exterior with a row of cartouches enclosing Hindu deities
with Geruda at the pointed end, the horn of a chocolate tone Compare with a similar rhinoceros horn bowl, of similar shape carved
17.3cm (6 3/4in) long with images of Vishnu to the interior, illustrated by J.Chapman, The Art
of Rhinoceros Horn Carving in China, London, 1999, p.273, pls.393-
HK$300,000 - 500,000 394. According to the author, all the recorded rhinoceros horn vessels
US$38,000 - 64,000 from Nepal are dedicated to Vishnu: Nepalese kings are traditionally
considered to be incarnations of Vishnu.

尼泊爾 十七/十八世紀 犀角雕毗濕奴與吉祥天聖杯 此杯雕印度教毗濕奴與神妃吉祥天，富有神秘的宗教色彩。毗濕奴是
印度教中的保護之神，仁慈和善良的化身，具有無所不能的力量。根
Provenance: 據《毗濕奴往世書》所記載，犀角杯能消除所有罪惡。此外，此杯形
An important European private collection, and thence by descent 狀為象徵女性生殖器的「瑜尼」（yoni)，有子嗣昌盛的含義，或為高
級別的重要禮器。
來源：
重要歐洲私人收藏，後由家族繼承 類似於本器飾毗濕奴的犀角聖杯，見J.Chapman，《The Art of
Rhinoceros Horn Carving in China》，倫敦，1999年，頁273，圖版
393-394。Jan Chapman在書中提到所有有記錄過的尼泊爾犀角器皿
均為毗濕奴而製，而尼泊爾國王在傳統上被認為是毗濕奴的化身。

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