Rare and large libation cup

Rare and large rhinoceros horn libatory bowl, finely carved to evoke the shape of an archaic fanggu, the flared wall decorated in high relief with eight chilong evolving on a background of archaic motifs featuring taotie masks and stylized cicadas punctuated by vertical ridges, seven chilong in relief and in the round forming the handle, the largest biting the rim. The interior is decorated with a dragon in high relief, pursuing the sacred jewel.
Weight: 311 g
Dim. 14.5 x 14 cm
Provenance: French private collection
Reproduced in:
J. Chapman, The Art of Rhinoceros Horn Carving in China, London, 1999, p.156, fig.191

The theme of Chi dragons, young and old, was very popular with the Qianlong emperor. It symbolizes the father teaching his son about life, and, by extension, the emperor giving lessons to the prince. It is frequently found on 18th-century jade and porcelain.
Its archaizing form and decoration also recall the emperor’s taste for antiquities.

Comparison pieces:
. Archaizing libatory cup with dragon decoration, signed Hu Yunzhong, mid-Qing dynasty, illustrated in: The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Bamboo, Wood, Ivory and Rhinoceros Horn Carvings, Hong Kong, 2002, p. 255, no.204.
. Libatory cup signed Hu Xingyue, 17th-18th century, sold at Bonhams Hong Kong,
on Dec. 3, 2015, lot 11.

* Specimen made from the horn of Rhinoceros spp* (Rhinocerotidae spp) 1/A pre-convention, in compliance with the AM of May 4, 2017 allowing the commercial use of specimens worked from the horn of Rhinocerotidae spp. For an exit from the EU, a CITES re-export will be required, this being the responsibility of the future purchaser.