Rhinoceros horn carved antique dragon pattern juxtaposition cup

[Rhinoceros Horn Sculpture with Ancient Chi Pattern Juice Cup]

Rhinoceros Horn Sculpture with Ancient Chi Pattern Juice Cup, mid Qing Dynasty, 9.8 cm high, 8.6-6.8 cm caliber
Some characteristics of the ritual vessels popular during the Shang and Zhou dynasties include a round body, a drum belly, a round bottom, and a three legged style. When viewed from above, its mouth is oval in shape and slightly narrow on one side, showing a flow pattern. The lateral flow part is slightly higher, with a prominent arc, and both sides curl inward, forming a wide and flat flow channel. The body is short and small, and the outer wall is decorated with a decorative band around it. The pattern is outlined with a positive line as the ground, and two Kui dragons are embossed in the relief. They are folded together at the lower reaches to form a beast face pattern. The basic composition is taken from the common beast face pattern decoration on bronze ware in the Shang Dynasty, and the overall representation is made by removing the ground relief method, which is very ingenious. There are two short columns on both sides of the mouth, each coiled with a carved dragon pattern, one facing the flow, one facing the tail, one ring outside the column, and one ring inside, echoing each other across the cup mouth, which is quite ingenious. The bottom of the cup is smooth, with three pointed feet facing outwards, and the feet are decorated with banana leaf patterns, filled with simplified geometric patterns. The cup is equipped with a circular rhombus shaped wooden seat, with three animal feet connected underneath
The treatment of the foot of this cup requires dividing the corner tip into three parts and slowly shaping it by special means such as heating or immersing it in caustic soda solution. This method breaks through the limitations of the shape of the rhinoceros horn, making it the most distinctive feature of this cup. Drawing on the modeling and decorative factors of bronze from the Shang and Zhou dynasties, this utensil was simplified and changed to adapt to the rhinoceros horn carving process. The decorative technique is characteristic of the times, and has a typical style of antique rhinoceros horn carving in the mid Qing Dynasty


犀角雕仿古螭纹爵式杯（另一角度）