An Exceptional and Rare Renaissance Silver Gilt Mounted Rhinoceros Horn Cup

Epoque: 1500-1700

Medium: silver, Rhinoceros Horn, Silver gilt, Gilt

Dimension: 14.5 x 10 x 6.5 cm (5³/₄ x 4⁰/₁ x 2¹/₂ inches)

Provenance: Ex Private collection

Literature: note: the Chinese Rhinoceros horn libation cup was an early exotic and luxurious import to the West / Europe, and regarded to be both highly valuable and protective to the owner, hence finding its way into a Royal Court of Europe where their silver and goldsmiths embellished the cup, in this case with a finely detailed silver-gilt support, for inclusion into the Court’s ‘kunstkammer’ to be marvelled and appreciated for its artistic importance, but on occasion also to be drunk from, as the rhinoceros horn would render any ‘poisonous’ liquid safe for the Princely patron to consume !