A PETAL-RIMMED RHINOCEROS HORN LIBATION CUP LATE MING / EARLY QING DYNASTY, 17TH CENTURY

of flared hexafoil form, the interior and exterior carved as petals rising to the everted rim, the body encircled by an elegant band of lotus scroll, the handle at one end formed by a large undercut chilong grasping the rim with its mouth surrounded  by three smaller chilong, all supported on a flared conforming foot, the horn darkening from a honey color to a dark brown towards the base of the cup

Sotheby's New York, 20th January, 1977, lot 141.

The tail of the largest chilong is missing and there is a possibility that there may have been more chilong than are now present. There is an old polished chip to the rim, a number of minute nicks around the edges, a polished chip just below the rim, a crack in one of the small chilong's tails, a filled hole in the base, and some age related wear.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Rhinoceros horn cups of this elegant flared hexafoil form are seldom seen, although a closely related vessel, from the collection of Gerard Levy, Paris, is illustrated in Jan Chapman, The Art of Rhinoceros Horn Carvings in China, London, 1999, pl. 173; and another finely carved with similar flaring petal rim, also decorated with a central band of scrolling lotus and the handle in the form of a climbing chilong, was sold in these rooms, 19th March 2007, lot 369.

Compare two further examples in the collection of Thomas Fok, carved with intertwining dragons forming the handles and low-relief bands of lotus flowers and other archaistic motifs, included in Thomas Fok, Connoisseurship of Rhinoceros Horn Carving in China, Hong Kong, 1999, pls. 9 and 25. Related lotus scroll motif encircles the body of a ewer, formerly in the collection of Dr. Ip Yee, illustrated in Chapman, op.cit., pls. 89-90.