Lot 361. A pair of large carved full-tip  rhinoceros horn libation 'Lotus' cups, Qing dynasty, 19th century. Length 20 1/4  in., 51.4 cm. Estimate 20,000 - 30,000 USD. Lot sold 100,000 USD. © Sotheby's

the full length of each horn intricately worked in the form of a deep lotus leaf, borne on a long curved stem, surrounded by an openwork tangle of further lotus leaves, irises, reeds and other aquatic plants, all issuing from a lotus root at the tip, the horn of a light caramel tone shading to dark brown at the tip, large carved and pierced wood stands (4). 

Provenance: Collection of Mr. and Mrs. William P. Roth, Villa Filoli, Woodside, California.
Butterfield & Butterfield, San Francisco, California, March 1975.

Sotheby's. Fine Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art. New York, 19 march 2013