Important Chinese Art
Important Chinese Art
A BRONZE 'DRAGON' CENSER, 17TH / 18TH CENTURY
Auction Closed
September 23, 08:35 PM GMT
Estimate
8,000 - 12,000 USD
Lot Details
Description
A BRONZE 'DRAGON' CENSER
17TH / 18TH CENTURY
十七 / 十八世紀 銅雲龍紋瑞獸耳爐 《大明宣德年製》仿款
solidly cast with the compressed globular body rising from a short splayed foot to a waisted neck and a slightly flared rim, set at the shoulder with a pair of mythical animal mask handles, the exterior cast in high relief with two ferocious dragons leaping amongst swirling clouds, the dragons with fierce gaze, flowing mane, and powerful claws, the base with an apocryphal six-character Xuande mark within a rectangular recess
Width across handles 7⅜ in., 18.8 cm
A small number of bronze censers of this design have been recorded. See, for example, a censer attributed to the 15th-17th century, illustrated in Paul Moss and Gerard Hawthorn, The Second Bronze Age. Later Chinese Metalwork, London, 1991, cat. no. 46; another similar example in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, attributed to 18th century, illustrated in Rose Kerr, 'A Preliminary Note on Some Qing Bronze Types', Oriental Art, vol. XXVI, no. 4, 1980/81, fig. 10. Compare a further example included in the Oriental Ceramic Society of Hong Kong exhibition Arts from the Scholar's Studio, Fung Ping Shan Museum, Hong Kong, 1986, cat. no. 139, and later sold as late Ming dynasty, 17th century at Christie's Hong Kong, 27th May 2008, lot 1912. In addition, a gilt-bronze censer of a finer casting, attributed to Xuande mark and period, was sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 5th October 2011, lot 1943; and another ungilt example with loose rings attached to the handles, was sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 30th May 2016, lot 3009.