Goblet made of rhinoceros horn, China, Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), before 1590

28 décembre 2017

Goblet made of rhinoceros horn, China, Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), before 1590

Goblet made of rhinoceros horn, China, Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), before 1590, 6.0 x 6.0 x 12.2 cm, Green Vault, IV 320 © Dresden State Art Collections.

In China, the artistic processing of Horn of the Rhino had a centuries-old tradition. The craving for the material as an aphrodisiac or as a crafting material meant that the rhinestone horn was soon traded as a costly rarity. In Europe, the horn, similar to the Narwalzahn, which was regarded as the horn of the unicorn was said to have comprehensive healing properties, so that it achieved top prices there. The shell has an oval, a lotus leaf imitated form. The base of the horn forms the large cup-shaped opening. Following the natural habit, the horn tapers downwards. It was thus "on the nose", as it says in the inventory. The decoration in the half-relief of reeds, buds, flowers and fruit stands of the lotus, between which delicate cranes glide, continues to the foot, where eight fully sculpted plant stalks and the body of a crane flow into an open-worked pedestal. The motifs of the lotus and the crane in Chinese mythology mean purity as well as a long life and thus underline the effect attributed to the material. The vessel was part of a gift by Duke Ferdinand I de 'Medici to Elector Christian I of Saxony in 1590. It also included 16 Chinese porcelains, two "Native American" paintings and other Chinese vessels. In the green vault, in addition to the rhinoceros horn shell, there is a small bowl (see Inv.II VII 32 g). where eight fully sculpted plant stalks and the body of a crane flow into an open-worked pedestal. The motifs of the lotus and the crane in Chinese mythology mean purity as well as a long life and thus underline the effect attributed to the material. The vessel was part of a gift by Duke Ferdinand I de 'Medici to Elector Christian I of Saxony in 1590. It also included 16 Chinese porcelains, two "Native American" paintings and other Chinese vessels. In the green vault, in addition to the rhinoceros horn shell, there is a small bowl (see Inv.II VII 32 g). where eight fully sculpted plant stalks and the body of a crane flow into an open-worked pedestal. The motifs of the lotus and the crane in Chinese mythology mean purity as well as a long life and thus underline the effect attributed to the material. The vessel was part of a gift by Duke Ferdinand I de 'Medici to Elector Christian I of Saxony in 1590. It also included 16 Chinese porcelains, two "Native American" paintings and other Chinese vessels. In the green vault, in addition to the rhinoceros horn shell, there is a small bowl (see Inv.II VII 32 g). The motifs of the lotus and the crane in Chinese mythology mean purity as well as a long life and thus underline the effect attributed to the material. The vessel was part of a gift by Duke Ferdinand I de 'Medici to Elector Christian I of Saxony in 1590. It also included 16 Chinese porcelains, two "Native American" paintings and other Chinese vessels. In the green vault, in addition to the rhinoceros horn shell, there is a small bowl (see Inv.II VII 32 g). The motifs of the lotus and the crane in Chinese mythology mean purity as well as a long life and thus underline the effect attributed to the material. The vessel was part of a gift by Duke Ferdinand I de 'Medici to Elector Christian I of Saxony in 1590. It also included 16 Chinese porcelains, two "Native American" paintings and other Chinese vessels. In the green vault, in addition to the rhinoceros horn shell, there is a small bowl (see Inv.II VII 32 g).

Posté par Alain Truong à 12:05 - Commentaires […] - Permalien [#]

Tags: China, rhinoceros horn, Goblet, Ming dynasty (1368-1644), before 1590