A Chinese rhino horn libation cup, the horn of deep toffee tone, paler to the exterior and finely

A Chinese rhino horn libation cup, the horn of deep toffee tone, paler to the exterior and finely carved with nine Qilong dragons crawling in and out of a lotus flower resting on a swirl of waves, 9.5cm high, 15cm wide, 17th century, probably Kangxi Provenance: Private Collection, early 20th century, and thence by descent A similar, but smaller, libation cup was sold at Sothebys, New York, 30th March 2006, lot 132 A closely related cup with similar carved decoration is illustrated in Thomas Fok, Connoisseurship of Rhinoceros Horn Carving in China, Hong Kong, 1999, pl. 3, where the author notes that Òthe decorative style is reminiscent of the jade waterpots of the Southern Song periodÓ See also Jan Chapman, The Art of Rhinoceros Horn Carving in China, for a discussion as to the dating of Rhino horn carving