A RARE ZITAN INCENSE STAND QING DYNASTY, LATE 18TH CENTURY

the square panelled top above a widely flaring waist carved in openwork with ruyi heads flanked by confronted kui dragons, all above a border of curling lotus lappets, the apron carved with ruyi heads, scrolls and acanthus leaves, the slender cabriole legs terminating in ruyi heads, all supported by a square stretcher on bracket feet

A French Private Collection.

The top has a filled shrinkage measuring approx. 0.4cm wide. There are minor chips and losses to the extremities, including the edges of the flared waist and the legs. There are consolidated cracks to the sides, the shoulders and the four legs. Scratches and surface wear, including an approx. 6cm horizontal scratch along the lotus lappets. Traces of glue along the four feet, possibly re-attached.
"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."

Masterfully carved and polished to a lustrous finish, this elegant stand displays the technical virtuosity of 18^th century wood carvers. The gracefully high reticulated waist and the deeply carved lotus petals on the present stand are reminiscent of Guangdong style furniture. Tian Jiaqing in ‘The Art of Decorative Carving on Qing Dynasty Furniture’, Orientations, May, 1996, p. 51, notes that the lotus petal motif bear ‘a certain resemblance to the Sumeru throne on which certain Buddha figures are seated’.

  

Examples of zitan incense stands of similar form and decoration include two sold in our New York rooms, 21^st September 2006, lot 37, and, 23^rd March 2010, lot 168; another sold at Christie’s New York, 17^th September 2008, lot 163; and a pair sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 21^st May 2009, lot 1812, all sharing the deeply carved lotus petal motif under the waist. Compare also a pair of hardwood stands of this form and design, from the collection of Marchese Giuseppe Salvago Raggi, sold in our London rooms, 16^th May 2012, lot 141; and a zitan stand of similar form, but carved with a flower scroll design, in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Hu Desheng, The Palace Museum Collection. A Treasury of Ming and Qing Dynasty Palace Furniture, vol. 1, Beijing, 2007, pl. 317.

 

Zitan was the most precious and highly esteemed timber available to the master craftsmen working in the Muzuo (Wood Workshop) belonging to the Zaobanchu (Imperial Palace Workshop). With its jade-like silky texture, extremely fine and dense grain, and subtle and deep lustre, zitan was the favourite timber of the Ming and Qing courts. Its long growth period combined with its limited availability, growing mainly in the southern regions of Guangdong and Guangxi provinces, made it especially valuable. By the Qing Dynasty excessive felling of zitan led to the exhaustion of its supply in China, and by the Qianlong reign, special measures were taken by the court to protect, monitor and restrict the use of zitan to the Palace Workshops.