λ A CHINESE RHINOCEROS HORN 'LOTUS' LIBATION CUP

17TH CENTURY

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.

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.