Chinese Rhinoceros Horn Lotus Decorated Cup, 17th Century. Photo courtesy  iGavel Auctions

This cup was inherited from a descendant of GE “Chinese” Morrison. George Ernest Morrison, born on 4 February 1862, was an Australian adventurer who is known for his travels in Asia and the Pacific. Before the age of 21, he traveled to the South Sea Islands and wrote an expose of the evils of the “Kanaka” trade, a trade in “indentured” labor for the Queensland sugar plantations that included kidnapping. His article was published by ‘The Age’ and influenced the eventual suppression of the trade. After several years working in New Guinea and other Asian countries as a journalist, in 1897 he moved to Peking and became the first permanent correspondent there for the London ‘Times’. While there he reported on the tensions between China and Russia and later on he experienced and reported on the Boxer Rebellion. Morrison not only wrote about the Boxer Rebellion, but he also took up arms and joined in defense of the foreign legations that were under siege. Several years later, he was still in China when the 1911 revolution erupted. At that time Morrison took up arms with the revolutionaries and helped fight to establish the Republic of China in 1912. Directly after the Republic was established, Morrison resigned from the ‘Times’ and took a position as an advisor to the Chinese government. He spent the remainder of his career as a representative of the Chinese government. He passed away on 30 May 1920.

Width: 6 1/2 inches, height: 3 7/8 inches. The lotus flower carved at the top of the handle with a glued break to a portion of the petals; the central exterior petal with a split, and a hole from insect activity, a few small nicks to the top edge of the petals; the leaves emanating from the base of the handle with chips along the edges, and one with a 1/4 inch long break to the tip; the top edge of one side with a 3/4 inch long split; the exterior base of the spout with a 1 1/2 inch horizontal split, filled partially with resin; the exterior rim on the other side with a 1/2 by 1/2 inch chip; with scattered cracks and nicks. Estimate $40000-60000. Lot sold $ 110,400.00 

Provenance: Property of a direct descendant of GE “Chinese” Morrison, adventurer, and London Times correspondent in China during the Boxer Rebellion

iGavel Auctions. Asian, Ancient, and Ethnographic Works of Art. May 1st, 2013. http://www.igavelauctions.com/