† ? A CHINESE RHINOCEROS HORN 'SCHOLAR AND PINE'... Lot 53

† ? A CHINESE RHINOCEROS HORN 'SCHOLAR AND PINE' LIBATION CUP 17TH/EARLY 18TH CENTURY The exterior carved with a continuous landscape scene of a scholar and his attendant standing on the bank of a river as two oarsmen row their boat down the finely incised rippling waters, the side with a rocky cliff face and a pine tree deeply worked in high relief to form the handle, the gnarled tree rising and branching into the interior, with further wutong trees and a pavilion dispersed through the setting, the horn of a warm toffee tone, 15.2cm, 232g. Provenance: formerly an English private collection, acquired prior to 1970, probably in the 1940s. Cf. Suzhou Museum, Suzhou Crafts of the Ming and Qing Dynasties from the Palace Museum Collection, pp.72-3, no.19 for a related libation cup. Please note that an export licence will only be granted for rhinoceros horn pieces should the hammer price meet or exceed the value of 100 USD per gram of the item's weight.