A LARGE BRONZE ARABIC-INSCRIBED CENSER MING DYNASTY, 16TH CENTURY

of cylindrical form raised on three lobed feet detailed with foliate scrolls, decorated around the exterior with a broad band enclosing three lobed cartouches cast in relief with an Arabic inscription reading 'There is no God but The [one] God, and Mohammad is the messenger of God' on a finely punched and patinated ground resembling leather, below a band of undulating leafy lotus encircling the flat rim, the base inscribed with a recessed apocryphal six-character Xuande mark in a rectangular cartouche, the bronze patinated to a rich coppery-brown colour

The overall condition is very good with the exception of a couple of minor dents to the mouthrim.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The Arabic inscription on this vessel may be translated as follows:

          There is no God but the [one] God, and Mohammad is the messenger of God.

Censers of this type, decorated with an Arabic inscription, are rare although a similar example, but with simpler foliate panels and a different set of inscriptions, in the Steven Hung and Lindy Chern collections, was included in the exhibition Chinese Incence Burners. Collection of Steven Hung and Lindy Chern, National Museum of History, Taipei, 2000, cat. no. 72. See also a ding-shaped censer bearing an Arabic script, from the Clague collection, illustrated in Robert Mowry, China's Renaissance in Bronze. The Robert Clague Collection of Later Chinese Bronzes 1100-1900, Phoenix Art Museum, 1993, cat. no.  25, where the author notes that it may have been part of a three-piece altar set. Compare also a censer and a jug with gold and silver inlay decoration that includes a lengthy Arabic inscription, published in Rose Kerr, Later Chinese Bronzes, London, 1990, pl. 43, in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London; and a tripod censer sold in our London rooms, 12th June 1990, lot 39.
 
Bronze censers decorated with Arabic inscriptions came to influence the making of a distinctive group of heavily potted blue-and-white porcelains, all bearing Zhengde imperial marks on the bases and the body decorated with Arabic or Persian inscriptions. Jessica Harrison-Hall in Ming Porcelain in the British Museum, London, 2001, p. 188, notes that it is possible that these wares 'were used by literate Muslim eunuchs at court or by the emperor, who was fascinated by foreign scripts.' For examples of blue-and-white wares with Arabic or Persian inscription in the British Museum see ibid., pls. 8:3-8:11, including an incense burner (8:11) with six roundels each bearing an Arabic phrase.  A porcelain censer of similar cylindrical form as the present piece, the exterior inscribed in underglaze-blue with a lengthy Persian inscription consisting of the verses of Sa'di, was sold in our London rooms, 6th July 1976, lot 151.

Two further ceramic censers of this shape, also with Arabic inscriptions in panels are illustrated in Kaikodo Journal, XXIV. Material Witness, New York, 2008, p. 166, where it is explained that the form derives from Han period prototypes known as zun or lian which were used for containing wine.