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Cup with landscape decoration

Cup with landscape decoration

17th century

Rhinoceros horn was prized both for its rarity and for the special powers it was believed to possess for nurturing health as well as the mind. Exquisite drinking cups made of horns were often decorated with auspicious motifs, typically representing longevity. This one has an elaborate landscape scene, complete with rushing streams, a pine forest, and an oxen-riding traveler.
Rhinoceros horn
5 3/16 × 8 1/4 × 4 3/4in. (13.2 × 21 × 12.1cm)
Base: 1 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 3in. (3.81 x 11.43 x 7.62cm)
Eugene Fuller Memorial Collection
35.117
location
Not currently on view

Resources

Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Pure Amusements: Wealth, Leisure, and Culture in Late Imperial China, Dec. 24, 2016 - May 15, 2022.

Seattle Art Museum respectfully acknowledges that we are on Indigenous land, the traditional territories of the Coast Salish people. We honor our ongoing connection to these communities past, present, and future.

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