A buffalo-horn-inlaid 'landscape' panel, Qing dynasty, Qianlong period

Acquired in Michigan in 1988.

Inlaid with finely carved buffalo horn in varying levels of relief, the present panel depicts a serene riverside landscape, rendered with remarkable depth and sensitivity. Although highly prized and valuable, buffalo horn was considered a challenging medium due to its scarcity, brittleness and difficulty in carving. As such, panels inlaid with buffalo horn are rare. See one example depicting a landscape scene, sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 29th November 2005, lot 1600; another, with a jade-inlaid Qianlong poem and two seals was sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 3rd April 2018, lot 3627.