Page 84 - Wolly & Wallace, July 1, 2020 Chinese Works of Art UK

82
λ A CHINESE RHINOCEROS HORN ‘LOTUS’ LIBATION CUP
17 CENTURY
TH
Formed as a large lotus leaf furling at the edges, the exterior decorated
in high relief with lotus blossoms and leaves issuing from thick stalks which
naturalistically curve to form the handle, with a single fish carved amongst the
flowers, both the interior and exterior detailed with the finely rendered veins of
the large leaf, 14cm, 156g.
Please note that an export licence will only be granted for rhinoceros horn
pieces should the hammer price meet or exceed the value of 100 USD per
gram of the item’s weight.
£5,000-10,000
The lotus is a popular motif on rhinoceros horn carvings, being regarded as a symbol
of scholars’ virtue and purity, as the beautiful flower grows from the mud, clean and
unstained.
Cf. Ming and Qing Chinese Arts from the C P Lin Collection, p.285, no.169 for a
similar late Ming dynasty rhinoceros horn cup carved as a lotus leaf; see also T Fok,
Connoisseurship of Rhinoceros Horn Carving in China, p.134, no.85 for another
related 17th century piece and p.142, no.93 for a comparable 17th century lotus
leaf-shaped cup with fish.
十七世紀 犀角雕蓮枝紋杯
註：只有落槌價格每克超過100美金的犀角雕拍品才能申請出口證書。

82 See paragraphs 4 & 5 of our conditions of business at the back of the catalogue for additional charges on the final hammer prices