Sotheby's. Chinese Art, Hong Kong, 31 may 2018, 11:15 AM
An archaistic rhinoceros horn libation cup, Early Qing dynasty
Lot 415. An archaistic rhinoceros horn libation cup, Early Qing dynasty; 13.3 cm, 5 1/4 in. Estimate 90,000 — 120,000 HKD. Courtesy Sotheby's.
modelled after the archaic ewer yi, set with a clambering chilong handle, the mid-section carved with an 'earth' diaper band, encircled by a key-fret band at the rim, the densely grained horn patinated to a rich brown colour.
Note: A closely related cup in the Chester Beatty Library, Dublin, is illustrated in Jan Chapman, The Art of Rhinoceros Horn Carving in China, London, 1999, pl. 175, and another from the Avery Brundage collection in the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, op. cit., pl. 180. Similar libation cups sold at Christie's London, 13th May, lot 2008; at China Guardian Beijing, 16th May 2010, lot 2633; and in these rooms, 8th April 2014, lot 3015.