A FINE CARVED RHINOCEROS LIBATION CUP MING DYNASTY, 17TH CENTURY

the high-polished auburn coloured horn carved in high-relief with Shoulao riding a crane set below the overhanging lip, hovering above a recumbent deer, flanked on the sides by the Eight Daoist Immortals standing on rocky outcrops, set amidst mountains and clouds, the back carved with a gnarled pine tree, the interior rim set with a bough of peaches at one end, stand

The overall condition is very good with virtually no chips or losses. The horn is very highly polished.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

A slightly larger rhinoceros horn libation cup with the same theme of the Eight Daoist Immortals in the peach garden of the Land of the Immortals, from the Chester Beatty Library, Dublin, is illustrated in Jan Chapman, The Art of Rhinoceros Horn Carving in China, London, 1999, pls 279-277. See also a smaller example in the Osaka Municipal Museum, published ibid., pl. 266; and another cup illustrated in Thomas Fok, Connoisseurship of Rhinoceros Horn Carving in China, Hong Kong, 1999, pl. 82.

The branch of peaches in the interior suggests that the Eight Immortals are about to attend, or are just leaving, the peach banquet of the Queen Mother of the West.