A 'PINE AND MAPLE' RHINOCEROS HORN LIBATION CUP QING DYNASTY, KANGXI PERIOD

the conical horn of auburn tone and a smooth patina, carved with a handle to one side formed by the reticulated trunks of a pine tree and a dead tree trunk wrapped with hanging vines, their branches extending around the side of the vessel, set opposite a small waterfall and an arched bridge between two cliffs, the sides further carved with lush maple trees growing on the banks, the interior left plain, the foot inscribed in relief in xingshu (running script) with a six-character poem zai hu shan shui zhi jian ('It is all between the mountains and steams')

Sotheby's Hong Kong, 20th May 1986, 174.
Collection of Franklin Chow.

Craving for Carvings: Rhinoceros Horn from the Chow Collection, Asian Civilizations Museum, Singapore, 2003, cat. no. fc56.

There are a few filled nibbles and insect holes around the rim, but the overall condition is very good. The surface patina is very smooth and well 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."

The exceptional quality of the carving of this cup continues with the beautiful calligraphy written in xingshu script on the base. It reads and may be translated as follows:

Zai hu shan shui zhi jian.
It is all between the mountains and the streams.

This famous quote is from the work of the Northern Song dynasty statesman, historian, writer and poet Ouyang Xiu (1007-1072) titled Zui Weng Ting Ji (The Record of the Pavilion of the Old Drunkard). Ouyang wrote this essay in 1046 when he was appointed taishou (Grand Warden) at Chuzhou in Anhui province. In it he describes the picturesque and natural beauty of Chuzhou and portrays the simple life of its peasant folk. However, Ouyang was bitterly disappointed and frustrated at being sent there as he felt that his talent was not recognized. In Chuzhou he spent his days drinking and became famous for entertaining his guests and getting drunk in a pavilion built by a Buddhist priest, which he named Zui Weng Ting (Pavilion of the Old Drunkard) after himself.

The superb carving of this cup is reminiscent of the work of the master carver Zhou Wenshu. The whole exterior is modelled as a cliff face with the roots of several pine trees emerging from crevices in the rock. The handle is fashioned in the form of two pines whose main branches stretch over the sides of the cup and are festooned with vines. For examples of carvings by Zhou see a cup decorated with a rocky landscape and pine trees, the rock face of the cliff incised in seal script with the three characters Wenshu zhi (made by Wenshu), from the collection of Harvard University Art Museums, included in Fok, ibid., pl. 131. Another vessel, in the Chester Beatty Library, Dublin, carved with a landscape and signed and dated by Zhou, is published in Jan Chapman, 'The Chester Beatty Collection of Chinese Carved Rhinoceros Horn Cups', Arts of Asia, May-June 1982, p. 78, pl. 16. 

Compare also a cup from the collection of Kenyon V. Painter, Cleveland, carved with pine, paulownia and flowering trees scattered across mountain cliffs and high rocks, sold in our New York rooms, 19th March 2007, lot 380; and another,  from the Estate of Nils Nessim, Stockholm, sold at Christie's New York, 25th March 2010, lot 819, depicting trees amidst rock formations. A third cup carved in high relief with a tree-strewn landscape, the handle formed by the stout branches of a pine tree, sold at Christie's Paris, 15th June 2005, lot 231, and again at Christie's Hong Kong, 27th May 2008, lot 1707.