FULL-TIP-CUP IN SHAPE OF A LOTUS BUNDLE. RHINOCEROS HORN.
China. Qing period. 17th/ 18th century.

Rhinoceros horn; yellow brown with dark parts; partly translucent. Cuppa in shape of a lotus leaf; the elongated handle is made of a bundle of three stems with a further leaf and a blossom; in addition to that a bamboo twig and a branch with lychee fruits; bound with a grass stalk. Height 17;5 cm; 10;3 x 9;5 cm. Condition A/B.

Literature:
Cp. cups in form of lotus bundles:
Thomas Fok: Connoisseurship of Rhinoceros Horn Carving in China; Hong Kong; 1999; ill. 96.
Exhibition catalogue: Craving for Carvings: Rhinoceros Horn from the Chow Collection; Asian Civilizations Museum; Singapore; 2003; ill. no. fc12.

The peculiarity of this chalice is that the conical form is carved from the complete horn. Jan Capman writes in "The Art of Rhinoceros Horn Carving in China"; London; 1999; on p. 72-73; that the inner; hollow part of the horn of the Asian rhinoceros naturally yields the inner and outer form of the cuppa as a lotus leaf.

Please note that objects made of ivory; rhinoceros horn and turtle shell; due to Cites regulations can only be sold within the European Community. At present the export in third countries is prohibited.Art trade; Van Ham.