A Rare Carved Rhinoceros Horn Libation Cup. Qing Dynasty, 18th Century. Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2012

The cup is delicately carved around the exterior with a seated lady sewing by a recessed-leg table and accompanied by an attendant, beside an irregular-shaped rock displaying antiquities including a gu-form vase, an archaic bronze lei, a tripod censer and a tool vase, amidst a continuous landscape punctuated by rocky outcrops with pine, wutong and bamboo trees and chrysanthemum flowers. The handle is pierced in the form of a gnarled pine tree branch with clusters of pine extending to the the interior of the cup. The material is of a rich amber honey tone. 6¼ in. (16 cm.) long, box. Estimate HK$1,800,000 - HK$2,500,000 ($233,350 - $324,097)

Provenance: Acquired in New York, 1998

Notes: The subject matter on the current vase is highly unusual as it entails several motifs which rarely appear on carved rhinorceros horns, such as Ming-style furniture, antiquities and lady sewing. The imagery of a lady surrounded by antiquities is reminiscent of the famous Yongzheng Beauty Appreciating Antiquities painting, in which a court lady is seated in front of a cabinet containing priceless antiquities, in the Beijing Palace Museum Collection and included in the National Palace Museum exhibition Harmony and Integrity: The Yongzheng Emperor and His Times, Taipei, 2009, Catalogue, pl. I-62.

However the depiction of a lady engaging in embroidery is rarely seen on Chinese decorative art, as females are usually portrayed pursuing leisurely activities or absorbed in scholarly events, but seldom are they depicted engaging in needlework. Thus the current cup belongs to a small and rare group of rhinoceros horns with rather unconventional motifs, such as a libation cup carved with eight horses, an unusual subject on rhinoceros horns, from the Songzhutang Collection and sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 31 May 2010, lot 1817.

Christie's. Important Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art. 28 November 2012. Hong Kong