Fine Chinese Paintings & Works of Art - 07 Dec 2020
λ A CHINESE RHINOCEROS HORN 'LOTUS AND GRAIN' LIBATION CUP
十八世紀 犀角雕蓮花紋杯
λ A CHINESE RHINOCEROS HORN 'LOTUS AND GRAIN' LIBATION CUP
18TH CENTURY
The exterior carved in relief with ears of grain amongst large lotus flowers and leaves, their long trailing stems all tied together with ribbon, with three small birds in flight amidst the blooms, the base worked as a furling lotus leaf, with a paper collection label reading '150', together with a wood stand, 11cm, 81g. (2)
Please note that an export licence will only be granted for rhinoceros horn pieces should the hammer price meet or exceed the value of 100 USD per gram of the item's weight.
Provenance: from the Fryers Collection of Chinese Art, collection no.150, purchased from René Kitchen Ltd, London, on 1st May 1970. A copy of the invoice is available.
Dr Gordon Fryers (1922-2008) and Dr Rosemary Fryers (1922-1994) moved to Singapore in 1946 after they had both qualified as doctors, and their time there introduced them to Chinese art and culture. However, the Fryers did not start collecting seriously until the 1960s when Gordon's experiences on his many international business trips rightly led him to believe that China would one day play a crucial role in the world economy and that its art would subsequently become highly desirable. With this remarkable foresight in seeing Chinese art as an investment opportunity, Gordon and Rosemary gradually built up their collection over a fifteen-year period in the 1960s and 70s, buying from leading auction houses and dealers. Albeit a clever financial move, Gordon and Rosemary's collecting was by no means without passion, and they both developed a keen interest in the subject. Whilst Rosemary was drawn to ceramics and various works of art, Gordon favoured jades and marvelled at the outstanding craftsmanship behind these pieces.
The Chinese words for lotus, he, and an ear of grain, sui, are homophonous with the words for 'harmony' and 'year' respectively. Therefore, the two images together symbolise the wish of living in harmony year after year.
Cf. T Fok, Connoisseurship of Rhinoceros Horn Carving in China, p.147, no.97 for another cup with the lotus and grain motif.
來源：Fryers伉儷亞洲藝術品收藏，編號150。1970年5月1日購於倫敦René Kitchen公司，附發票複印件。
註：只有落槌價個每克超過100美金的犀角雕拍品才能申請出口證書。
1946年Gordon Fryer及其夫人Rosemary Fryer獲取醫生證書之後搬去了新加坡，在那裡他們接觸到了中國藝術品及文化。然而他們在1960年代之前並沒有開始收藏中國藝術品，當Gordon多次到訪中國並確信中國將有一天會在世界經濟的舞台上扮演重要的角色時，他開始了對中國藝術品的投資之旅。他們陸續在1960到1970年代開始建立他們自己的收藏體系，主要從重要拍賣及著名古董商那裡購買。當然除了Gordon非凡的經濟頭腦，更是由於Fryer伉儷對中國藝術品的熱愛。Rosemary鐘情於中國瓷器及藝術品，而Gordon更喜愛中國玉器的精巧雕工。
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