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    • Rhinoceros Horn Libation Cup
    • Rhinoceros Horn Libation Cup
    • Rhinoceros Horn Libation Cup
    Rhinoceros Horn Libation Cup

    Early Chinese Metalwork in Gold and Silver; Works of Art of the Ming and Qing Dynasties

    15 March - 26 March, 2011

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    Rhinoceros Horn Libation Cup

    Ming dynasty, Wanli period, inscribed with a date corresponding to 1582

    Rhino horn was a material endowed with all sorts of properties by the Chinese.  Not least that it was thought capable of detecting poison in a drink.  This beautiful cup, with its Ming date, is inscribed with a poem warning the owner against drunkenness.

    Height: 11.5cm; Lenght: 19.4cm