Lot 36. A pair of carved chenxiangmu cups, 17th century. Height 3 3/8  in., 8.6 cm. Estimate 15,000 — 20,000 USD. Lot sold 40,000 USD. Photo Sotheby's

each naturalistically carved in the form of a tree trunk, the exterior decorated in relief with sprigs of flowering chrysanthemums among gnarled rocks, the wood of a deep brown color (2)

Provenance: Collection of Charles B. Sweatt Jr. (1929-2007), Wayzata, Minnesota. 

Notes: Chenxiangmu is a fragrant wood held in high esteem in China. A number of small chenxiangmu cups are known, including the present example which are generally made after rhinoceros horn cups in appearance. Gerard Tsang and Hugh Moss in Arts from the Scholar's Studio, Hong Kong, 1986, p. 216, note that these cups are characterized by being made of separate sections of wood joined together, suggesting that it was commonly found in small pieces. It was also, along with sandalwood used as incense and was probably imported in small chunks for that purpose. 

Compare three other chenxiangmu cups, of different form and carved with various motifs, sold in our Hong Kong rooms: 29th October 2001, lot 682, 10th April 2006, lot 1640, and one from the Water, Pine and Stone Retreat Collection, 8th October 2010, lot 2223. 

Sotheby's. Monochrome, New York, 15 sept. 2015, 10:00 AM