清十八 / 十九世紀 黃楊木雕「仕女乘槎」水波紋座

the wood patinated to a rich reddish-brown colour, deftly carved in the form of a raft shaped from the incurved bark of a gnarled tree trunk, with three court ladies onboard sheltered by a large knotty pine sprouting from the stern of the vessel and extending above their heads, one standing at the rear playing on a dizi flute, another seated at a table playing a qin, while a third lady listens to the music, all three wearing long robes with ample sleeves billowing in the breeze, a root table supporting a tripod censer at the bow, carved overall with swirling waves

The present lot has been carved to simulate rhinoceros horn carvings as indicated by the shape of the carving its finely-finished reddish-brown patina. It is a fine example of craftsmanship as evident in the exquisitely detailed incurved shape of the raft to resemble a stylised yet naturalistic piece of bark. The fluid lines of the raft are mirrored in the ladies' flowing robes which are cleverly offset by the straight needles of the pine tree. Many of the fine wood carvings were produced by the scholar-literati who had a close relationship with their material and this piece reflects the carver's passion for the medium as well as his high level of artistry.

The largest collection of rhinoceros horn carvings of rafts in one institution, can be found in the Chester Beatty Library, Dublin, with four examples mentioned by Jan Chapman in The Art of Rhinoceros Horn Carving in China, London, 1999, p. 77, and one illustrated, pl. 47.

For another boxwood vessel made in imitation of a rhinoceros horn cup, see one included in Jan Chapman, The Art of Rhinoceros Horn carving in China, London, 1999, pl. 375, and
Thomas Fok, Connoisseurship of Rhinoceros Horn Carving in China, Hong Kong, 1999, pl. R3, and sold in these rooms, 8^th October 2009, lot 1813, from the Water, Pine and Stone Retreat collection.