明十七世紀 鎏金銅四季花卉紋桶形三足香爐 《雲間胡文明作》款

of archaistic form, the cylindrical body with straight sides supported on three lingzhi feet, the broad slightly recessed band around the main body decorated with a continuous low-relief design of a branch of flowering tree-peony,  two lotus leaves and one open flower flourishing amidst long grass, a gnarled old branch of flowering kui tree, and branches of flowering prunus, all set against a stylised floral-diaper ground, bordered top and bottom with a band of continuous leiwen inlaid in silver wire, the relief floral design, the lip and bands around the upper neck, base and feet all richly gilt, the flat circular base engraved in archaic seal script with the six-character mark Yunjian Hu Wenming zuo (‘Made by Hu Wenming of Yunjian’)

Ulrich Hausmann 收藏，約1980年

Gerard Tsang 及 Hugh Moss，< Chinese Metalwork of the Hu Wenming Group >，《Handbook, International Asian Antiques Fair》，香港，1984年，頁48，圖12

There are small chips and dents to the upper and lower rims. There are scratches to the surface, especially to the underside and the upper rim. There is oxidisation to the whole surface, especially the interior.Rubbing to gilding. The patina is slightly darker than in the catalogue photo.
"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."

For an incense burner of similar form and closely related decoration in the Shanghai Museum, see Li Chu-Tsing and James Watt, The Chinese Scholar’s Studio.  Artistic Life in the Late Ming Period, Asia Society, New York, 1987, no. 62. The piece is signed Yunjian Hu Wenming nan Guangyu zhi (‘Made by Guangyu, son of Hu Wenming of Yunjian’), providing an insight into the extent to which the Hu Wenming workshop continued into the second generation, with various family members signing mostly his name, but occasionally their own. The main difference between the current incense burner, with the father’s signature, and the Shanghai Museum example with his son’s is that the diaper ground on the latter piece has an additional element of repeated swastikas.

For another example of an incense burner of this form, decorated with lotus, lingzhi, chrysanthemum and other flowers, inscribed with a six-character zhuanshu mark within a rectangular cartouche, see Gerard Tsang and Hugh Moss, op. cit., p. 47, fig. 11.