A GOLD-SPLASHED ALMS BOWL CENSER AND STAND 17TH CENTURY

the compressed globular body with rounded sides incurved towards a lipped rim, flanked by two raised-boss handles set above a loop suspending a loose ring, decorated overall with small irregular splashes of gold, the flat base inscribed with a recessed two-character apocryphal Xuande mark in a square cartouche, the circular stand cast with a pierced top set on a bulging apron, raised on three formalized ruyi-feet further joined by an encircling stretcher, similarly splashed overall with gold

Nicholas Grindley, London, December 1981.

There are a couple of light surface scratches and expected wear below the handles where the loose rings are resting on the body, but overall the alms-bowl is in very good condition. The patina changes colour at the base of the bowl and top of the stand.
"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."

It is rare to find gold-splashed censers of this unusual Buddhist alms-bowl form, although a similar gold-splashed alms-bowl censer sold in our London rooms, 13th July 2005, lot 191. A closely related bronze censer of this shape, with a stand but lacking the gilt-splash decoration, sold in our London rooms, 14th December 1976, lot 239; and a simple bronze alms bowl that may have been used as a censer is published in Sydney L. Moss, The Second Bronze Age. Later Chinese Metalwork, London, 1991, pl. 45. Compare further a gold-splashed bronze alms bowl form vessel included in the exhibition Arts from the Scholar's Studio, Fung Ping Shan Museum, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 1986, p. 238, cat. no. 229, where it is noted that the owner of such elegant and expensive vessel was probably not in need of alms and thereby it is most likely that the piece served as a censer.
 
The origin of gilt-splashed decoration remains a source of speculation. Gerard Tsang and Hugh Moss in Arts from the Scholar's Studio, Hong Kong, 1986, p. 184, mention that the popularity of this surface decoration was possibly fostered by Xuande bronzes of the Ming dynasty where the appearance of the gilt-splashes was caused by the uneven surface patination of the vessel. Hence the apocryphal Xuande mark on the base of the censer. Some scholars have linked gilt-splashed decoration on bronzes to qingbai and 'Longquan' wares of the Song, Yuan and Ming dynasties. Robert Mowry in his work on the Phoenix Art Museum exhibition China's Renaissance in Bronze, Phoenix Art Museum, Phoenix, 1993, p. 169, mentions the appearance of fine paper enlivened with flecks of gold and silver from the early 15th century and suggests that this 'might have also played a role in the creation of such abstract decoration, either directly inspiring those who designed the bronzes or indirectly moulding taste to appreciate objects sprinkled with gold and silver'. Furthermore, R. Soame Jenyns and William Watson in Chinese Art. The Minor Arts II, London, 1963, p. 166, illustrate a bronze double vase with gold inlay in the form of splashes, pl. 50, which the authors describe as 'decorated with elaborately simulated patches of apparent corrosion, the rough projecting parts consisting of pure gold, resembling un-worked nuggets and grains inserted into the bronze'.