清十七 / 十八世紀 犀角雕「松鼠葡萄」圖盃

intricately carved as a cup-shaped blossom with petals forming the cup, the exterior detailed in varying degrees of relief with gnarled vines issuing large leaves and clusters of plump grapes, all enveloping the sides and issuing from the base comprising further leaves and clusters of grapes, one squirrel confronting its young on the exterior of the cup near a thick vine upon which a further squirrel climbs, the interior carved with further leafy vines issuing clusters of grapes and tendrils, as well as three further squirrels, one of them perched on the sides while the other two play with one another, the horn of a dark brown tone with hints of honey-brown towards the rim, wood stand

The overall condition of the piece is very good with the exception of some minor nicks to the rim and two age cracks measuring approximately 0.8 cm. long running from the rim. There are also some minor age cracks and chips to the leaves on the exterior, some of which may have been polished down. Several small bug bites are also visible on the exterior of the cup.
"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."

This libation cup, decorated with finely rendered veins and richly laden with large succulent grapes is an unusual example of a small group of rhinoceros horn carvings decorated with a fruit design. 

The fruiting grapevine as a subject was especially popular in the Ming dynasty, and was frequently painted on early Ming blue and white wares such as the dish recovered from the waste heaps of the Ming Imperial kilns at Jingdezhen included in the exhibition Imperial Hongwu and Yongle Porcelain Excavated at Jingdezhen, Chang Foundation, Taipei, 1996, pl. 44. Grapes are also depicted with squirrels forming a popular motif that represent the wish for many children and ceaseless generations of sons and grandsons (songshu putao).

For a similar rhinoceros horn cup with a 'Grape and Squirrel' theme, see the exhibition One Man's Taste. Treasures from the Lakeside Pavilion, Galleries of the Baur Collection, Geneva, 1988, cat. no. R13, from the collection of Edward T. Chow. Another rhinoceros horn cup decorated with the grape motif from the Edward T. Chow Collection was sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 8th April 2011, lot 2716. See two further similar cups, one in the Staatliches Museum für Völkerkunde, Munich, illustrated in Jan Chapman, The Art of Rhinoceros Horn Carving in China, London, 1999. pl. 222; and another in the Chester Beatty Library, Dublin, illustrated in Jan Chapman, 'Rhinoceros Horn Carvings and their Buffalo Horn Imitations', Orientations, January 1988, p. 41, fig.1. Two cups decorated with grapes, from the Qing Court collection and still in Beijing, are published in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Bamboo, Wood, Ivory and Rhinoceros Horn Carvings, Shanghai, 2001, pls.114 and 130, the latter made by using a whole horn. Compare also a grape vine cup in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, published in Craig Clunas, Chinese Carving, London, 1996, fig. 35; one sold at Christie's New York, 22nd March 2007, lot 154; and one from the Estate of Cyrus Jasperse, sold in our New York rooms, 13th June 1979, lot 133.