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Lot 135Y
A very rare rhinoceros horn 'scholar and attendant' libation cup 17th century
Amended
30 May 2017, 15:00 HKT
Hong Kong, Six Pacific PlaceSold for HK$250,000 inc. premium
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A very rare rhinoceros horn 'scholar and attendant' libation cup
17th century
Of tall and well-hollowed flared form, carved in high relief with two gnarled pine trees, their branches forming the handle and extending over the rim carved with crags, flanked to one side by a sage seated with legs crossed cooling in a flowing stream below the overhanging pine and by a wutong tree, gazing in the distance at the rocky outcrops covered with vine tendrils, the other side with an attendant carrying a bundle beside a bridge over a swirling stream flowing from the base, the horn of amber-brown tone. 14cm (5 1/2in) high
Of tall and well-hollowed flared form, carved in high relief with two gnarled pine trees, their branches forming the handle and extending over the rim carved with crags, flanked to one side by a sage seated with legs crossed cooling in a flowing stream below the overhanging pine and by a wutong tree, gazing in the distance at the rocky outcrops covered with vine tendrils, the other side with an attendant carrying a bundle beside a bridge over a swirling stream flowing from the base, the horn of amber-brown tone. 14cm (5 1/2in) high
Footnotes
Please note the cup is made of bovine horn and not rhinoceros horn as described in the catalogue.
請注意：此拍品應為水牛角，並非圖錄上所述的犀牛角。
十七世紀 犀角雕山水人物杯
Provenance:
An important European private collection
來源：
重要歐洲私人收藏
The carving of the present lot is particularly bold in the large portrayal of the figures and meticulous attention to the depiction of their facial expressions and clothing. The contrasting scene is set by the comparison between the scholar, seated with legs crossed, his robe raised to avoid getting it wet, cooling his feet dangling in the nearby stream, whilst his attendant, going uphill, is shouldering what appears to be a heavy bundle of firewood.
The humorous design, seen through the eyes of the literati for whom this exceptional cup would have been made, demonstrates an unusually large degree of freedom of creativity practiced by the master carver.
Compare two related rhinoceros horn libation cups, 17th century, with figural sage carvings, from the Angela Chau and Chun-hung Li collections, illustrated by T.Fok, Connoisseurship of Rhinoceros Horn Carving in China, Hong Kong, 1999, pls.150 and 166.
杯敞口，平底。由底至口鏤雕蒼松一株，樹幹作杯鋬，樹枝延伸至杯內及杯兩側山崖，岩間溪流而出，松蔭下一文士跣足坐於岸邊，喜笑顏開，生態舒然。另一面雕一侍婢背囊行走於山林流水小橋間，神態嚴肅，於溪邊文士達成鮮明對比。岩峰中古樹蒼枝垂下，雕刻精細，富有層次，工藝精良。
此杯以浮雕、鏤雕等技法雕成，構圖細膩而不繁複，人物神態對比明顯，足見匠心。以山水人物為主題雕刻的十七世紀犀角杯，見劉木蘭女士及李震熊先生舊藏兩例，均著錄於霍滿堂，《中國犀角雕刻珍賞》，香港，1999年，圖150及166。
Saleroom notices
Please note the cup is made of bovine horn and not rhinoceros horn as described in the catalogue. 請注意：此拍品應為水牛角，並非圖錄上所述的犀牛角。