Y A rare Chinese rhinoceros horn 'Scholar' libation cup

Y A rare Chinese rhinoceros horn 'Scholar' libation cup, 17th-18th century, the well-polished small cup of warm amber tone, carved in high relief with the scholar Dongfang Shuo wearing long flowing robes near a gnarled peach tree with branches extending over the rim into the interior, carved hardwood stand, 7.5cm high x 10.9cm long x 7.1cm wide, weight of horn 160 grams.Provenance: From the private collection of the late Mrs Angela Daisy Butts formerly of Hanover Gate Mansions London prior to 1980 (by repute) and then by family descent.From an early date, rhinoceros horn was believed to have medical and magical properties, in particular that it would react by fizzing if it came into contact with poison, and so cups made out of rhinoceros horn were valued as a protection against poisoning. Horn (角) hence appears in numerous characters denoting types of archaic Chinese drinking vessels, e.g. the gu (觚), the zhi (觯) and the gong (觥). Elaborate rhinoceros-horn cups for drinking wine and other libations were produced as communal drinking vessels used on important ceremonial occasions or for religious rituals. The present cup is extremely rare for the simplicity of the design which indicates that the cup is amongst one of the earliest examples known with Taoist figures. The main figure standing by the fruit-laden peach tree, Dongfang Shuo, was a Han-dynasty official who attained immortality for stealing holy peaches from the orchard of the Queen Mother of the West. Few similar Ming examples would appear to be known. See the the Edward T. Chow and Franklin Chow collection, Sotheby's Hong Kong, Lot 3653, 3rd March 2018.17-18世纪 "东方朔偷桃"图犀角杯高7.5厘米，长10.9厘米，宽7.1厘米，重160克拍品来源：伦敦Hanover Gate宅邸Daisy Butts女士私人珍藏 Please Note: Rhino horn products can be sold within the EU without a license, but not exported beyond the EU (unless the hammer price reaches $100 per gram in weight).Y - Indicates that this lot may be subject to CITES regulations when exported. For further details on CITES regulations, visit: www.gov.uk/guidance/cites-imports-and-exports.Condition Report: small old shallow chip to rim 5mm x 2mm the wood stand with section missingCondition Report Disclaimer