A 'PINE' RHINOCEROS HORN LIBATION CUP QING DYNASTY, 18TH CENTURY

the well-polished horn of auburn tone, carved as a wide shallow cup tapering to a small flat foot, carved on the exterior to one side with a reticulated gnarled pine tree handle with branches wrapping the sides of the entire cup, and with one branch extending over the rim onto the interior, the surface further textured with shallow oval patches representing tree bark, wooden stand

Collections of Edward T. Chow (purchased in London, 1961) and Franklin Chow.

Craving for Carvings: Rhinoceros Horn from the Chow Collection, Asian Civilizations Museum, Singapore, 2003, cat. no. fc29.

Apart from a minor nibble to the edge of the foot that has been polished down, a couple shallow insect holes on the rim that have been polished, and a thin age crack, the overall condition is very good. The surface is very well preserved and smooth.
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One of the early acquisitions for his collection, Edward Chow describes this cup as diaoke shifen canglao keai ('the carving is of age and is extremely adorable') and attributes it to the early Qing period. The exterior surface of the vessel is carved with the scales of the bark of a mature pine tree. It shows the high level of care and skill of its maker. Objects decorated with pine tree were invariably made for the scholar-literati who appreciated the vessel not only for its form but for what the pine tree symbolizes: longevity.

For examples of rhinoceros horn cups decorated with the pine motif see one in the Chester Beatty Library, Dublin, included in Jan Chapman, The Art of Rhinoceros Horn Carving in China, London, 1999, pl. 229, where the craftsman has used both a plain background and a small area of bark background against which a life-like pine branch with numerous needles is portrayed. Compare also a cup from the collection of Dr. Ip Yee, published in 'Chinese Rhinoceros Horn Carvings', International Asian Antiques Fair, Hong Kong, 1982, pl. 38; another sold at Christie's New York, 25th March 2010, lot 819, from the estate of Nils Nessim, Stockholm; and one sold at Christie's London, 12th May 2009, lot 29.