51 cm. (20 1/8 in.) high

Duomuhu, Tibetan-style ewers, were produced in a variety of different materials as early as the Yuan dynasty but it is during the Qing dynasty that they became particularly prevalent. A Qingbai example dating to the Yuan dynasty was excavated in 1962 and included in the Christie’s New York exhibition, Treasures from Ancient Beijing, 2000, no. 8. Tibetan ewers of this form were intended for storing butter, or making butter tea but the functional form was adapted to create elaborate works of art for the Qing Emperors in response to their fervent interest in Tibetan Buddhism. Examples of ewers in different materials include a Qianlong-marked turquoise-ground famille rose porcelain example sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 30 May 2005, lot 1244, a pair of cloisonné enamel ewers sold at Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 8 April 2014, lot 3104, and a gilded-copper ewer in the Tibet Museum, included in the exhibition Treasures from Snow Mountains, Gems of Tibetan Cultural Relics, Shanghai Museum, Shanghai, 2001, cat. no. 105. The present use of carved coconut shell panels, however, appears to be extremely rare and no other examples appear to have been published.
Coconut shell, being a relatively soft material, allowed the artist to create extremely intricate and complex carvings as seen on the landscape panels on the present ewers. Compare the refined carving with that found on a coconut shell censer and cover sold at Christie’s London, 5th November 2103, lot 114.

Price estimate:
HKD: 200,000-300,000
USD: 25,800-38,700

Auction Result:
HKD: --