36. A rare Chinese rhinoceros horn libation cup 17th century, finely carved as a lotus leaf with a sinuous chilong to the interior and three further smaller dragons clambering upon one another to form the handle, the foot with a mythical beast and a fish emerging from waves, the horn of a rich, dark patina, 14.3cm long, 7.4cm high. £40,000-50,000
Provenance: an English private collection, purchased from Spink & Son in the 1970s. Sold with a CITES pre-sale authorisation letter. A copy is available upon request.