A BRONZE ALMS BOWL INCENSE BURNER LATE MING / EARLY QING DYNASTY

heavily cast of compressed globular form, elegantly formed with broad rounded shoulders below a small lipped rim, the flat base centred with a six-character mark reading Xuehai Tangzhuren zhi ('Made for the Master of the Xuehai Hall') within a recessed panel, the bronze richly patinated to a deep brown colour 

David Rote Antiques Ltd., London, 1981.

The alms bowl is in good overall condition with just light surface wear and faint discolouration and oxidation, all consistent with the type.
"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."

This elegantly cast vessel is notable for its form, after a Buddhist alms bowls. Among later bronzes, alms bowls were converted into incense burners for the scholar's studio, although more commonly found with two ring handles on the body. This is a more elegant version of the type, intricately cast with an apocryphal six-character Xuande reign mark.

For a gold-splashed bowl, also with an apocryphal Xuande six-character reign mark, in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, see the exhibition Guan cang yadiao ji Ming, Qing tonglu tezhan / Special Exhibition of Ivory Carvings and Ming and Qing Incense Burners from the Museum's Collection, Kumamoto City Museum, Kumamoto, 1997, cat. no. 178. See also a plain bronze bowl of this type, attributed to the Ming dynasty, published in Paul Moss and Gerard Hawthorn, The Second Bronze Age. Later Chinese Metalwork, London, 1991, pl. 45.

Compare also two other examples of bronze alms bowl incense burners, both from the Water, Pine and Stone Retreat Collection, a small Yongzheng reign-marked example sold in these rooms, 8th April 2014, lot 203, and a gold-splashed vessel inscribed with the mark baoyong ('for treasured use'), sold in these rooms, 8th April 2013, lot 117.