An elegantly carved rhinoceros horn libation cup, 17th-18th century. Photo Bonhams.

Of flaring rounded conical profile, carved as a section of a pine tree, the exterior walls realistically detailed with knots and whorls of bark rendered with irregular roundels, the rim slightly canted and decorated with openwork branches, the undercut handle formed by sturdy branches extending across the exterior of the vessel, the horn of a warm honey tone graduating to a darker shade; with a matching reticulated wood stand. 6 1/4in (15.8cm) wide. Sold for US$ 47,500 (€34,880)

Provenance: acquired in China in the early 1950s by a Baltimore art collector, and thence by a family member in California since 1970

Item has been in the United States since 1950.

FINE CHINESE WORKS OF ART, San Francisco, 24 Jun 2014 -http://www.bonhams.com/