清十八世紀 犀角雕「荷葉」盃

of circular form with deep rounded sides and an undulating rim, the massive horn carved in the form of a large furled lotus pad with a lush blossom and a lotus-seed head around the exterior of the vessel, together with an attendant furled leaves, arrowheads and reed, a sprig of camellia blossoms further entwined with the spiralling stalks issuing from the underside and naturalistically bound together forming an openwork foot, the smoothly polished horn patinated to a warm honey colour deepening to a lustrous burnt-caramel tone beneath the base

倫敦佳士得1981年10月26日，編號101
仇大雄收藏

《Craving for Carvings: Rhinoceros Horn from the Chow Collection》，亞洲文明博物館，新加坡，2003年，編號FC36

The present carving is special for a number of reasons. It is fashioned into a bowl which required a horn of exceptional size. Jan Chapman in The Art of Rhinoceros Horn Carving in China, London, 1999, pp. 88-91, explains the rarity of bowls and illustrates an example of similar shape, but carved with a figural scene and bearing an inscription by the Qianlong Emperor on its base, in the Chester Beatty Library, Dublin, pl. 71.

The inspiration for this bowl may have come from two bowls with flower design, both sitting on a ringstand composed of the stems of the plant, as seen here, attributed to the early Ming dynasty and illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Bamboo, Wood, Ivory and Rhinoceros Horn Carvings, Shanghai, 2001, pls. 111 and 112. It is also worth comparing another Ming period bowl of this type, in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, carved with fruit and flowers, included in Jiangxin yu xiangong. Ming Qing diaoke zhan, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 2011, cat. no. 27.

This bowl is finely carved as a lotus leaf with a lotus-seed head around the outside of the vessel, together with various small blossoms and leaves. The entire carving is highly polished and the horn of delightful honey shade. While it is a superb example of what is possibly one of the most popular decorative themes in the rhinoceros horn carver's repertoire, its shape makes it exceptionally rare. The fashioning of the foot, in the form of entwining stalks, is also delightful. The artist has created an openwork design by binding the stalks together, which is highly stylized yet, at the same time, remains true to nature. 

For related Qing period bowls, see one carved with lychees, magnolia and grapes, included in Dr. Ip Yee, Ip Yee, 'Chinese Rhinoceros Horn Carvings', International Asian Antiques Fair, Hong Kong, 1982, p. 36, pl. 30; two smaller bowls formed from overlapping petals of a magnolia flower with foot formed by openwork ring foliage, in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, published in Craig Clunas, Chinese Carving, London, 1996, figs. 33-34; and a pair of bowls sold in these rooms, 29th November 1979, lot 386, forming a lotus, millet, prunus and waterweed bouquet.