Lot 3042. A finely carved 'Pavilion' rhinoceros horn libation cup, Ming dynasty, early 17th century. Estimate HKD 2,000,000 - HKD 3,000,000 (USD 260,000 - USD 390,000). Price Realised HKD 3,260,000 (USD 420,462). © Christie's Images Ltd 2011

The thick walls deeply carved and pierced to depict plantain, wutongand maple trees growing by the banks of a river, finely detailed with incised rippled water and blossoming lotus plants, carved to one side with a crouching attendant washing an inkstone beside a large pavilion on the riverbank, the river meandering between the rockwork to the underside of the base, the handle formed by a large pierced rocky outcrop, the interior carved above the handle with a gnarled pine tree with leafy branches growing along both sides below the rim, the material of deep caramel tone with pale amber shading; 6¾ in. (17.1 cm.) wide, wood stand, box

Provenance: The Songzhutang Collection, previously sold at Christie's London, 16 November 1998, lot 113  

Literature: T. Fok, Connoisseurship of Rhinoceros Horn Carving in China, Hong Kong, 1999, p. 222, no. 163

Exhibited: Hong Kong Museum of Art, Metal, Wood, Water, Fire and Earth: Gems of Antiquities Collections in Hong Kong, 2002-2005

Note: The present cup is well carved with differing layers to provide a varying degree of depth in the landscape. Instead of using tall trees to fashion the handle, in this instance ornamental rocks are rendered in openwork. The imagery of lotus blooms growing on rippled water with only a solitary depiction of an attendant washing an inkstone in the river, creates a scholarly theme of a lazy summer, drawing the viewer into the lone pavilion for a respite from the summer heat. 

Christie's. Important Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, 30 November 2011, Hong Kong