1 / 11
an orange glass bowl with a carved design on the riman orange glass bowl with a black background and a black backgrounda brown bowl that is sitting on a white surfacean orange jade bowl on a black surface with a black backgroundchinese carved red jade bowl on black surface with reflectiona brown bowl that is sitting on a white surfacean orange and black object on a black surface with a black backgrounda brown vase with a flower design on ita small brown vase sitting on top of a white tablean image of a carved head of a horse on a black backgroundan image of a brown vase with a design on it
Premium AGUTTES

Estimate €20,000 - €40,000
Sale commission
Description
CHINA 17th/18th CENTURY A rare, carved libation cup made from rhinoceros horn, with a beautiful honey colour, the sides adorned with a low-relief design depicting prunus branches emerging from rocks and spreading out on one side; on the inside of the cup, where the handle is formed, a bird is perched on one of the branches. H. 10.5 cm L. 18.7 cm W. 11.7 cm Weight: 442 g Expert: Cabinet Philippe Delalande Expertise – Qinghua Yin Provenance: Parisian collection, acquired during the 1920s–1930s (by reputation).  Description: Mentioned as far back as the Shijing (Book of Odes), rhinoceros-horn cups occupy a unique place in the history of Chinese decorative arts. Whilst their use is attested in the earliest classical texts, it was during the Ming (1368–1644) and Qing (1644–1912) dynasties that they reached their highest level of achievement, establishing themselves as among the most refined creations in the field of organic material sculpture. The boom in maritime trade from the 16th century onwards encouraged the import of horns, mainly from South-East Asia, providing Chinese workshops with a material of exceptional rarity and prestige. Prized by scholars and high-ranking officials alike, these bowls captivated admirers as much for the nobility of their material as for the excellence of their craftsmanship. The warm translucency of the horn, its amber hues and the delicate network of natural striations that enliven its surface offered sculptors a material of remarkable sculptural richness, whose intrinsic qualities they sought to highlight rather than conceal. The workshops of Jiangnan raised this art to a level of perfection rarely equalled. True to the principle of respecting the horn’s original form, the craftsmen followed its curves with remarkable sensitivity, creating bowls whose shapes seem to flow naturally from the material itself. Some remained deliberately understated, revealing the full beauty of the material, whilst others were adorned with exquisitely carved decoration, alternating between bas-relief and high relief, and even featuring subtle openwork. Rocks, landscapes, lotuses, orchids, bamboo and plum trees come together to form a poetic world directly inspired by literati painting, where the balance of the composition echoes the apparent spontaneity of nature. During the Qing dynasty, this art form reached its full flowering. The compositions grew in both scale and virtuosity, displaying a remarkable mastery of the contrasts between deeply carved reliefs, delicate modelling and areas left untouched, in order to make the most of the natural qualities of each horn. Among the most prized motifs is the flowering plum tree, whose gnarled branches and delicate blossoms embody perseverance, purity and renewal. Often associated with birds heralding the return of spring, it expresses with rare poetic beauty the ideal of harmony between humankind and nature that is deeply ingrained in Chinese aesthetics and philosophy.
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
About the sale Asian Art
Auction location
Auction time 09/16/2026 at 2:30 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
You may also like