A rare rhinoceros horn 'landscape' libation cup


17th centuryOf conical form, the flaring sides tapering to a hollowed oval base, finely carved in varying levels of relief around the exterior with two pairs of scholars in a rocky riverscape, one pair walking up the hill, the other standing next to a pavilion, all amongst jagged cliffs and rocky outcrops with pine and wutong trees, one end of the horn set with an openwork handle formed by gnarled pine tree trunks extending into the interior of the cup, the horn patinated to a rich dark walnut tone, box. 16cm (6 1/4in) long (2).
|十七世紀 犀角雕山水人物杯Provenance: Sotheby's London, 13 November 2002, lot 12Angela Chua Collection, Hong Kong來源：倫敦蘇富比，2002年11月13日，拍品12香港蔡劉木蘭女士收藏For related examples of rhinoceros horn 'landscape' libation cups, compare with a 'river landscape' libation cup, signed Sheng Fugong, 17th century, from the Songzhutang Collection, illustrated by T.Fok, Connoisseurship of Rhinoceros Horn Carving in China, Hong Kong, 1999, no.160, and J.Chapman, The Art of Rhinoceros Horn Carving in China, London, 1999, p.137, no.152, which was later sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 8 October 2013, lot 3153. See also another example carved with a similar composition, which was sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 3 October 2017, lot 3694.同類飾山水人物題材之犀角杯，可參看松竹堂舊藏一件十七世紀松崖煙溪杯，刻「盛輔功」款，著錄於霍滿棠，《中國犀角雕刻珍賞》，香港，1999年，圖160及Jan Chapman，《中國的犀牛角雕刻藝術》，倫敦，1999年，頁137，編號152，後售於香港蘇富比，2013年10月8日，拍品3153。與本器雕刻構圖風格相類者，亦可參考香港蘇富比售出一件十七世紀犀角雕攜琴訪友杯，2017年10月3日，拍品3694。