A rhinoceros horn 'phoenix and flowers' libation cup


17th/18th centuryThe horn of attractive amber tone, crisply carved around the exterior with a phoenix perched on rocky outcrop gazing at a arriving bird in flight, surrounded by an abundance of blossoming flowers, issuing from two tree branches forming the handles and the ring foot, the interior incised with radiating veins. 13cm (5 1/8in) long
|十七/十八世紀 犀角鳳鳥雙棲盃Provenance: an important European private collection來源： 重要歐洲私人收藏Compare with a related rhinoceros horn libation cup carved with cranes and phoenix in the Chester Beatty Library, Dublin, illustrated by J.Chapman, The Art of Rhinoceros Horn Carving in China, London, 1999, p.187.A related rhinoceros horn 'auspicious birds' libation cup, 18th century, was sold at Bonhams London, 11 May 2017, lot 310.