Lot 3644. A rhinoceros horn 'loquat' libation cup, Qing dynasty, 17th – 18th century, 18.6 cm, 7 1/4  in. Estimate 400,000 — 600,000 HKD. Lot sold 625,000 HKD (75,632 EUR) (80,431 USD). Photo: Sotheby's

skilfully carved in the form of a furled loquat leaf with a serrated rim, one side of the leaf depicted borne on a gnarled branch extending downwards to form the handle and base, the branch issuing branches of loquats and leaves enveloping the exterior of the vessel, the smoothly patinated surface of a honey-brown colour 

Note: Rhinoceros horn libation cups modelled in the form of a loquat leaf and carved with loquats on the exterior are unusual and only two examples appear to have been published; one in the Chester Beatty Library, Dublin, illustrated in Jan Chapman, The Art of Rhinoceros Horn Carving in China, London, 1999, pl. 224; and another from the Montague Meyer Collection, sold in these rooms, 26th November 1980, lot 432, possibly the same cup that sold in our London rooms, 30th June 1964, lot 108.

Loquats (pipa) in China are symbolic of the four seasons, as they bud in autumn and flower in winter, while their fruits appear in spring and ripen in summer.

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art, Hong Kong, 05 Apr 2017