height: 11 cm

The bamboo is carved into the form of a rhinoceros horn cup – with a wide irregular mouth descending to a narrow oval foot. The carving is deep and undercut to depict a gnarled old pine tree; its trunk rises crookedly at one end, with branches that extend on either side of the cup and fan shaped needles of exaggerated size. The cup’s background is observed as a close up section of a pine trunk with its irregular bark, bumps, and the knotted stump left over from a fallen branch. The interior is fitted with an original close fitting copper lining.

This work of art embodies the aesthetic of the Chinese scholar class – the libation cup serving a ritual purpose, and the material and decoration symbolising longevity (the pine tree does not lose its needles in winter).

similar examples
‘The Art of Rhinoceros Horn Carving in China’ by Jan Chapman, Christie’s, 1999 – plate 377 illustrates a bamboo cup in The Staatliches Museum Fur Volkerkunde, Munich.

‘‘Bamboo, Wood, Ivory and Rhinoceros Horn Carving – The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum’, 2001 – no. 2.