LATE 17TH CENTURY

细节

**A RARE SIGNED AND INSCRIBED RHINOCEROS HORN LOTUS LEAF LIBATION CUP
Late 17th century
Finely carved in the form of a lotus leaf with inturned edges borne on a stem rising from the base which is carved as a small lotus blossom borne on another stem, the ends of the two stems tied with a millet leaf below a smaller lotus leaf at one end of the rim, the exterior naturalistically veined and carved on one side with small snails amidst water weeds and incised on the other with a ten-character inscription and a four-character maker's mark, the interior carved in high relief with a crab clutching a stalk of millet
5¼in. (13.4cm.) long

注意事项

Notice Regarding the Sale of Material from Endangered Species. Prospective purchasers are advised that several countries prohibit the importation of property containing materials from endangered species, including but not limited to coral, ivory and tortoiseshell. Accordingly, prospective purchasers should familiarize themselves with relevant customs regulations prior to bidding if they intend to import this lot into another country

拍品专文

The inscription, Zi ci lian jia di/yu yi ding xuan huang, may be translated, 'to come first in consecutive public examinations and to have a bright future' and is signed Shen Ruyi zhi.

For another rhinoceros horn cup signed Shen Ruyi zhi and inscribed with the same inscription, see T. Fok, Connoisseurship of Rhinoceros Horn Carving in China, Hong Kong, 1999, no. 88. As with the present cup, the inscription reflects the auspicious motifs that constitute the decoration and form a rebus. This cup, in the collection of the author, is finely carved as a large lotus leaf, but with the crab grasping a millet stem on the exterior and with the large lotus stem hollowed and bent upwards to one side so that the piece functions as a waterdropper. The author discusses the rebus or pun created by the combination of motifs: the crab is a play on 'coming first in examinations' and the lotus blossom a play on 'consecutive examinations'. The two combined offer wishes for 'distinguised results in civil service examinations'. Another cup, from the collection of the Hong Kong Museum of Art, op. cit., no. 90, is also carved as a lotus leaf, and like the present cup is embellished with water weeds and a crab, as well as the additional small snails, but also has a mantis on the interior. This combination of motifs symbolizes 'living in harmony every year', as well as the wishes for passing the examinations successfully.