Exceptional Chinese Cup of Animal Horn, Possibly Rhinoceros. XVII-XVIII Century

Exceptional antique hand-carved animal horn piece, made between the 17th and 18th centuries. This is a valuable cup, composed of three pieces and entirely hand-made of some kind of animal horn, very probably rhino. Rhino horn is considered a curative, almost miraculous material by Chinese culture, so every rhino horn piece is highly valued in the antique trade. In this case, the cups ancient age joins with the rare material it is made of and its beautiful carving work to make up a unique piece, really appealing for any collector. The cup is formed by three pieces, so skillfully joint that the unions are perfectly disguised. It look like an inverted cone, and is supported by a base in a truncated conical shape. At the foot, the base bears a fine engraved classical border. The cup itself is a beautiful piece because of the nice color shades of the material and the great carving work performed on it. It shows an orange reddish color, with tones ranging from dark red to bright yellow. The engraved patterns are mainly abstract, with classical horizontal borders between them. The joints that assemble the cups pieces are disguised by a zoomorphic engraved piece that represents two felines with their tails touching, maybe two lions. It is a nice detail which shows an exceptional carving work, full of delicacy and accuracy. In this piece and some other parts of the cup we can see a lot of very thin parallel lines which make us think it could be really rhino horn. The piece is in good condition, showing slight restorations in some parts. Its rarity, its aesthetic appealing and its ancient age turn it into a real collectors piece which will stand out among the best exotic antiques. Measurements: 130 mm width x 160 mm height.