A Carved Rhinoceros Horn 'Eight Immortals' Libation Cup Qing Dynasty, 17th Century

the exterior deftly carved in openwork and high relief with eight Daoist immortals in loose-fitting robes, some accompanied by their attendants, ascending a craggy mountain with a balustraded pavilion among a variety of leafy trees in a continuous landscape, two of them greeting Shoulao, the God of Longevity seated on a flying crane followed by two further attendents, all beneath scrolling clouds extending to the interior, further carved with a fierce sinuous five-clawed dragon amidst further clouds around the flaring mouth, the horn of variegated brown colour, wood stand

Collection of George Headley.

Metal, Wood, Water, Fire and Earth - Gems of Antiquities Collections in Hong Kong, Hong Kong Museum of Art, 2003-2005, cat. no. 19.
Freer Gallery of Art, Washington DC, Spring 2001.

Thomas Fok, Connoisseurship of Rhinoceros Horn Carving in China, Hong Kong, 1999, p. 196,  pl. 141.

The overall condition is very good with the exception of an approximately 1cm. restuck chip to the mouth and a 3 x 8 mm. sliver repair to the base. There are two filled-in age cracks to the mouth and a restuck branch in the middle. The surfaces are very well maintained in general.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Although rhinoceros horn cups decorated with immortals in a landscape are readily found, the present vessel is highly unusual for its distinctive interior design of a large five-clawed dragon. Only one other rhinoceros horn cup which combines a figural landscape with a dragon motif is known, from the collection of Franklin Chow, sold in these rooms, 8th April 2011, lot 2714. The huge mythical creature is depicted engulfed in swirling clouds with its limbs emerging, to capture a sense of power and dynamism. On the exterior, the immortals occupying the calm and serene world appear blissfully unaware of the majesty of the dragon.

The ‘Eight Daoist Immortals’ is one of the most popular subjects decorating figural rhinoceros horn cups as Daoist adepts originally commissioned the making of vessels in this medium. Here the immortals are depicted gathered around a terrace under the gaze of the God of Immortality, Shoulao, who hovers above on a crane. According to Jan Chapman, The Art of Rhinoceros Horn Carving in China, London, 1999, p. 201, the theme of the Daoist Immortals is represented on rhinoceros horn cups through the use of three distinct techniques as illustrated in three cups from the Chester Beatty Library, Dublin: depicted in the Land of Immortals, carved around the cup in a circle with Shoulao in the centre of the group, and in a natural landscape, all illustrated ibid., pls. 268, 269-70 and 174 respectively. The swirling clouds and mountainous landscape on the present piece capture the ethereal nature of both the land and its inhabitants. The auspicious theme symbolises good fortune and longevity for the vessel’s owner. Shoulao, along with the deer and pine trees, represents longevity, while the flying crane was believed to carry the dead to the Land of Immortals.

A related cup carved with the Eight Immortals, from the collections of Edward T. Chow and Franklin Chow, illustrated in Thomas Fok, Connoisseurship of Rhinoceros Horn Carving in China, Hong Kong, 1999, pl. 142, was sold in these rooms, 8th October 2013, lot 3243. Compare rhinoceros horn cups with similarly carved figural scenes, such as one in the Palace Museum, Beijing, published in The Palace Museum Collection of Elite Carvings, Beijing, 2002, pl. 211; another in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, included in the exhibition Jiangxin yu xiangong. Ming Qing diaoke zhan [Uncanny ingenuity and celestial feats: the carving of Ming and Qing dynasties], National Palace Museum, Taipei, 2011, cat. no. 29; one  from the collection of Dr. Ip Yee, illustrated in Dr. Ip Yee, ‘Chinese Rhinoceros Horn Carvings’, International Asian Antiques Fair, Hong Kong, 1982, p. 21, cat. no. 2; and a fourth example from the Edward T. Chow and Franklin Chow collections, sold in these rooms, 8th April 2011, lot 2714.