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A rhinoceros horn 'melon' libation cup 17th/18th century image 1

A rhinoceros horn 'melon' libation cup 17th/18th century image 2

A rhinoceros horn 'melon' libation cup 17th/18th century image 3

A rhinoceros horn 'melon' libation cup 17th/18th century image 4

Lot 130^Y

A rhinoceros horn 'melon' libation cup
17th/18th century

Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art

30 May 2017, 15:00 HKT

Hong Kong, Six Pacific Place

Sold for HK$650,000 inc. premium

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A rhinoceros horn 'melon' libation cup

17th/18th century
Naturalistically carved in the shape of a half melon, supported on intertwined leafy vines issuing further smaller melons forming the base and handle, extending and hanging in relief over the interior, the horn of a honey-brown tone. 6.8cm (2 5/8in) wide

Footnotes

十七/十八世紀犀角雕瓜果小杯

Provenance:
An important European private collection

來源：
重要歐洲私人藏品

The present lot is a feat of carving, successfully transforming the prized horn into naturalistic curly leafy vines bearing ripening melons. As melons grow on vine, known as wan (蔓), forming a rebus with wan (萬) meaning ten-thousand, and have a large number of seeds, they came to represent the auspicious wish for fertility and producing many offspring.

See a related rhinoceros horn melon-shaped libation cup, in the Chester Beatty Library, Dublin, illustrated by J.Chapman, The Art of Rhinoceros Horn Carving in China, London, 1999, pls.225-226; compare also two related rhinoceros horn libation cups shaped as half melons, 18th century and 17th century, illustrated by T.Fok, Connoisseurship of Rhinoceros Horn Carving in China, Hong Kong, 1999, pls.99 and 105; the former sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 27 May 2008, lot 1701, and the latter sold at Christie's Paris, 14 December 2011, lot 28.

A related rhinoceros horn 'melon' libation cup, signed Yi Ru, Kangxi, was sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 8 October 2013, lot 3179.

以剖半瓜果為杯身，杯底飾瓜藤，杯柄處圓雕一小瓜果，刀工簡練精湛，造型可愛。參看都柏林切斯特圖書館藏一件類似的瓜式犀角杯，見J.Chapman，《The Art of Rhinoceros Horn Carving in China》，倫敦，1999年，圖版225-226。另見器形大小類似的兩件犀角瓜果杯，著錄於霍滿堂，《中國犀角雕刻珍賞》，香港，1999年，圖99及105；前者後由香港佳士得售出，2008年5月27日，拍品1701，後者由巴黎佳士得售出，2011年12月14日，編號28。

另見一例清康熙犀角雕瓜瓞綿綿小杯，刻「怡如」款，後售於香港蘇富比，2013年10月8日，拍品3179。

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