A FINE FIGURAL LANDSCAPE RHINOCEROS HORN LIBATION CUP QING DYNASTY, 18TH CENTURY

the tall horn with a narrow waisted stem and wide flaring sides, carved on the exterior in various levels of relief with a continuous landscape depicting scholars and attendants strolling along rocky shores by a lake among lofty trees and pavilions, one side detailed with a walled compound and pagoda built on top of a jagged cliff, the other with a small skiff partially concealed by cragged rocks near the flat base, one end of the horn set with an openwork handle formed by a perforated rock and a knotty pine extending over the rim, the horn of deep burnt-caramel tone on the base evolving towards a rich amber colour at the rim

Estate of Nils Nessim, Stockholm (collection label N. 73).
Collection of Edward T. Chow.

Apart from a few nicks and nibbles to the rim commensurated with age, the libation cup is in overall good condition. The interior of the foot has been filled in with lacquer.
"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 present finely carved cup reflects the influence of painted handscrolls on rhinoceros horn carvings, with the theme of scholars and attendants depicted in an idealized landscape setting of trees, water and rocks, amongst the most popular figural subject matters in the horn carvers’ repertoire. Just as one would unfold a painting, the cup is to be turned to reveal the scene in its entirety.

A number of related vessels decorated with scholars in landscape are known: see two published in Jan Chapman, The Art of Rhinoceros Horn Carving in China, London, 1999, pls. 275 and 278, the former in the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco from the Avery Brundage collection, and the latter in the Chester Beatty Library, Dublin. Compare also a cup fashioned in a similar carving style to the present example, in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, published in Craig Clunas, Chinese Carving, London, 1996, fig. 27; and a slightly earlier example, carved with a continuous scene of landscape and waterscape with pavilions, from the collection of Thomas Fok, included in Thomas Fok, Connoisseurship of Rhinoceros Horn Carving in China, Hong Kong, 1999, pl. 162, attributed to the 17th century.