An extremely rare large cloisonné enamel tripod incense burner and cover, Ming dynasty, Wanli period | 明萬曆 銅胎掐絲琺瑯游龍獻壽紋大蓋爐

Collection of General Charles H.T. Collis (1838-1902), and thence by descent. 

Charles H.T. Collis 將軍 (1838-1902) 收藏，此後家族傳承

The precise placement of the circular notches on the perimeter of the cover of the current incense burner appears to be deliberate, and seems to correspond closely to 14 of the 28 Lunar Mansions (xiu) of the ancient Chinese star chart (see Joseph Needham, Science and Civilisation in China, vol. 3, Cambridge, 1959, astronomy table 24). Appearing around the late Zhou (c. 1047-256 BC) or early Han (206 BC-AD 220) period, the 28 xiu had been used for interpreting celestial and terrestrial events for dynasties. During the Jiajing reign (1522-1566), a large-scale renovation was carried out at the observatory of the Ming court, which still stands today and is now called the Beijing Ancient Observatory. According to Ming records, a wind pole with 28 hoops symbolizing the 28 xiu was installed there in the second year of Jiajing (1523), demonstrating the great importance of the Lunar Mansions at that time. 

General Charles H.T. Collis (1838-1902) joined the 18th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment at the start of the Civil War and later led the Zouaves d'Afrique, a special duty company of hand-picked men modeled after the elite Algerian troops of the French Army, to fight in several major battles including the Battle of Fredericksburg, for which he later received the Medal of Honor. Following the war, Collis practiced law, becoming an Assistant City Solicitor in Philadelphia. He is buried at the National Cemetery at Gettysburg, where he is honored by a monument.