An archaistic gold and silver-inlaid bronze luduan-form censer, 17th / 18th century

Collection of Lady Hesketh (1929-2006).

Sotheby's London, 7th March 2007, lot 13.

A & J Speelman, London.

Luduan, an auspicious creature with a leonine body, a single horn and the paws of a bear, is said to have ability to traverse vast distances in a day and appear only in areas where a virtuous leader was present. The present censer deftly showcases both the playfulness and majesty of the mythical creature through the animated expression and bulging eyes. Censers modelled in the form of a luduan are known to have been produced in bronze as early as the Han dynasty (206 BC- 220 AD), such as one from the Bondy Collection, included in the Berlin Exhibition of Chinese Art, Berlin, 1929, cat. no. 45. These bronze prototypes provided inspiration for numerous later interpretations, including the present.