A RHINOCEROS HORN 'JUE' LIBATION CUP 17TH CENTURY

carved in the form of the archaic bronze drinking vessel, jue, with a deep U-shaped body flaring at the rim, one side carved with a channelled spout opposite an extended rim tapering to a point, the exterior carved in low relief with a wide register of archaistic taotie masks on a leiwen ground divided into sections by vertical flanges, set below the rim with a band of three chilong writhing in and out of clouds, one side set with a thin openwork handle issuing from the mouth of a taotie mask, all supported on three splayed blade legs, the horn of auburn tone with an attractive patina

Collection of the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco.
Sotheby's Los Angeles, 20th October 1974, lot 129.
Sotheby's Los Angeles, 23rd October 1980, lot 1698.
Sotheby's Hong Kong, 20th May 1981, lot 904.
Christie's London, 17th December 1981, lot 369.
Collection of Franklin Chow.

Craving for Carvings: Rhinoceros Horn from the Chow Collection, Asian Civilizations Museum, Singapore, 2003, cat. no. fc52.

Thomas Fok, Connoisseurship of Rhinoceros Horn Carving in China, Hong Kong, 1999, pl. 8.

The overall condition is quite good with only a few minor nibbles to the rim and a tiny restuck 3 mm piece on the rim.
"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."

This cup, in the form of the well known bronze ritual vessel jue, exhibits archaistic elegance and a high level of skill exercised by the carver, who used the complex technique of bending different sections of the split horn upwards to form the splayed legs.  The result is a fine example that belongs to a small and specialized group of rhinoceros horn carvings. It is after a rare type of jue that was made without the two capped posts on the rim; such as the Shang dynasty example in the Idemitsu Museum of Arts, Tokyo, illustrated in Ancient Chinese Arts in the Idemitsu Collection, Tokyo, 1989, pl. 36.

Whilst the vessel's form makes a reference to the past, the carver has added a contemporaneous design in the form of two confronting dragons amongst foliage and a third full-faced one amongst lingzhi fungus, all carved on the vessel's flaring rim.

Compare a rhinoceros horn jue decorated with the taotie design illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Bamboo, Wood, Ivory and Rhinoceros Horn Carvings, Shanghai, 2001, pl. 205, together with a four-legged ding form cup, pl. 206, and a tripod ding vessel, pl. 207. Another jue of similar size to the present example but with a wider rim, from the collection of H. G. Beasley, was sold in these rooms 22nd May 1984, lot 263; and one with two capped posts was also sold in these rooms, 19th November 1986, lot 334.