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A rhinoceros horn 'lotus leaf' libation cup Qing dynasty,…
Auction House:
Auction Location:
Melbourne
Date:
6-Apr-2016
Lot No.
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Description:
A rhinoceros horn 'lotus leaf' libation cup Qing dynasty, 17th/18th century, carved in the form of a widely flared lotus leaf with characteristic veining finely delineated on the interior and exterior extending to the frilled rim, and issuing from a tuber with two lotus entwined stems with millet and reeds forming the openwork foot, and rising up the sides in pierced relief to form the handle, one stem bearing an open lotus bloom, the other a further leaf, and with a fish swimming among water weeds and a crab carved in relief on the sides below the broad spout, a praying mantis climbing towards the rim on the interior, the horn of rich amber tone, 17 cm wide. Provenance: The Zorich Collection, Adelaide . The lotus leaf is one of the most popular subjects in the rhinoceros horn carver's repertoire. This example is enhanced with the inclusion of living creatures and is filled with auspicious symbolism. The use of the lotus with a crab and millet form the rebus lian nian hexie continual harmony year after year. The lotus leaf symbolises purity and uncontaminated beauty and is associated with the virtuous character of the gentry and scholar elite. The fish represents wealth and abundance and the name for a praying mantis tanglang is a pun on the word for clan., Compare with a lotus leaf cup from the collections of Edward and Franklin Chow, included in the exhibition Craving for Carvings: Rhinoceros Horn from the Chow Collection, Asian Civilizations Museum, Singapore 2005, cat. no. fc11, sold Sotheby's, Hong Kong, 8 April 2011, lot 2715., See also a cup from the Collection of Gary Mack, New York, sold Sotheby's, Hong Kong, 9 October, 2012, lot 3049
Estimate:
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Price:
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Category:
Oriental: Zother