An elegantly carved rhinoceros horn libation cup, 17th-18th century
An elegantly carved rhinoceros horn libation cup, 17th-18th century. Estimate US$ 30,000 - 40,000 (€27,000 - 36,000). 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
Please note lot 8243 has been in the United States since 1950.
Provenance: acquired in China in the early 1950s by a Baltimore art collector, and thence by a family member in California since 1970