A PAIR OF SILVER-LINED ZITAN ‘MAGNOLIA’ LIBATION CUPS, CHINA, 18TH CENTURY
Each finely carved as a large magnolia flower borne on an openworked gnarled branch bearing neatly incised buds and blossoms. The interiors with meticulously applied silver liners. The base of each cup painted in red lacquer with a single-character mark. The dark-red zitan wood is of an attractive grain and color with characteristic ‘crab’s claw’ markings overall. (2)


Inscriptions:
To each base, ‘Qiao’.


Provenance:
John Sparks Ltd., London, United Kingdom, 1986. A private collection in West Yorkshire, United Kingdom, acquired from the above and thence by descent. A copy of the original signed invoice from John Sparks, dated 1 May 1986 and confirming the dating above, accompanies this lot. Note that the invoice describes the cups as being of ‘peach-shape’.

Condition:
One cup in excellent condition with only minor old wear, the other in very good condition with a minute natural age crack, possibly with an associated old fill. The silver liner is exceptionally well preserved on both cups. Overall with a magnificent patina and displaying exceptionally well.

Weight: 58.6 g and 62.6 g
Dimensions: Width 9.5 cm and 9.4 cm


Literature comparison:

Compare a closely related zitan cup carved with squirrels and grapevines, 6.8 cm high, dated ca. 1650-1700, in the Victoria & Albert Museum, accession number FE.129-1978.


Auction result comparison:

Type: Related
Auction: Christie's New York, 20 September 2013, lot 1588
Price: USD 8,750 or approx.
EUR 11,500
converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A set of four Zitan cups, 18th-19th century
Expert remark: Compare the related form and material. Note the lacking of any liner, the later date, and that the lot comprises four cups. Note the near-identical diameters (10 cm).

This item contains ivory, rhinoceros horn, tortoise shell, and/or some types of tropical wood and is subject to CITES when exporting outside the EU. It is typically not possible to export such items outside of the EU, including to the UK. Therefore, after this item has the necessary trade certificate, it can only be shipped within the EU or picked up in our gallery in person.




十八世紀一對紫檀雕玉蘭嵌銀角杯

杯身呈喇叭狀，敞口漸細至小足，杯内嵌銀内胎。以浮雕、透雕手法刻畫木蘭花樹，木蘭花或是含苞欲放，或是嬌艷盛開，刀法樸拙厚重而不失精巧。請注意優雅的紅褐色和獨特的“蟹爪”紋理，兩者都是紫檀木的獨特標誌。(2)


款識：
每個杯底都可見“喬“字


來源：
英國倫敦John Sparks Ltd.，1986 年；英國西約克郡的私人收藏。 此拍品附有John Sparks 簽名的原始發票副本，日期為 1986 年 5 月 1 日，並確認了上述日期。請注意，發票將杯子描述為“桃形”。

品相：
一個杯子狀況良好，只有輕微的磨損；另一個狀況非常好，有微小的自然老化裂紋，可能有小填充物。兩個杯子上的銀色胎都保存得非常好。總體而言，具有自然包漿。

重量：分別為58.6克與62.6 克
尺寸：分別寬 9.5 厘米與9.4 厘米


文獻比較：

比較一件相近的1650-1700年紫檀杯，浮雕松鼠和葡萄，高6.8釐米，收藏於維多利亞和亞伯特博物館，館藏編號FE.129-1978。


拍賣比較：

形制：相近
拍賣：紐約佳士得，2013年9月20日，lot 1588
價格：USD 8,750（相當今日
EUR 11,500
）
描述：清十八/十九世紀紫檀雕花卉紋盃一組四件
專家註釋：比較相近的外形、材質。 and material. 請注意沒有限、年代較晚，以及此組為四件。請注意幾乎相同直徑(10 厘米)。