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Description

Ancient artists used their swords to carve handles skillfully, without wasting any rhinoceros horn material. As a result, rhinoceros horn cups with different handles and patterns were presented to the world. People's understanding of the medicinal value of rhinoceros horns is commonly known as clearing heat and detoxifying. As early as the Jin Dynasty, ancient people had a certain understanding of the medicinal properties of rhinoceros horns. According to Tao Hongjing's Annotations on the Compendium of Materia Medica during the Southern Dynasty; It is best for male rhinoceros to be used as a medicine. If rhinoceros slices and adult objects are seen, they are not suitable for use when steamed. This indicates that rhinoceros horns had two main uses at that time, one for medicinal purposes and the other for carving into objects. The rhinoceros horn used for carving objects needs to be heated first to soften before carving. This rhinoceros horn cup has a slightly wide mouth, a cup body engraved with the character "Fu", and a bottom inscription "Made in the year of Qianlong". The rhinoceros horn has a deep yellow brown color, with obvious bamboo silk patterns. Its shape is ancient and simple, and its knife technique is exquisite. It is a typical antique vessel during the Qianlong period. The preciousness of rhinoceros horn cups stems from the scarcity of materials. Artisans often craft the mouth of the cup according to the shape of the horn material, and carving it into a symmetrical shape is more material intensive than ordinary rhinoceros horn cups. It is actually rare in rhinoceros horn carvings, which is also one of the important reasons for the preciousness of this tool. And this item is well preserved, with a thick and natural coating, and has extremely high collection value and historical significance!