A SUPERBLY CAST AND RARE BRONZE TRIPOD 'DRAGON' CENSER CAST MARK AND PERIOD OF QIANLONG

the globular body resting on three baluster legs issuing from grinning masks and flanked by pierced upright 'S'-shaped handles, crisply cast in high relief with three five-clawed dragons writhing amid clouds in pursuit of a 'flaming pearl', two striding on each side with a scaly undulating body emitting flames, the third depicted en face, sharply writhing with outstretched limbs in a ferocious pose, below a band of pendent petal lappets around the shoulder and striding dragons encircling the galleried rim, the handles similarly cast with en face or striding dragons on the front and sides, the base cast with a six-character mark within a recessed panel, the bronze patinated to an attractive golden brown colour

There are traces of malachite encrustations on the interior and a few dents around the mouth rim. The handles are loosely attached to the body, but overall the censer is in good condition.
"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 censer embodies the grandeur and power of the Qianlong reign through its striking shape and lavish decoration. It successfully draws from archaism, as seen in its ritual bronze ding form of the Eastern Zhou period, and combines this with the familiar imperial motif of dragons amongst swirling clouds to result in a distinctive piece characteristic of the style of Qianlong. A heightened sense of dynamism is achieved through the elongated handles that extend dramatically in an S-curve from the compressed globular body, a feature that first appeared in the Song dynasty. The detailed dragons are depicted with flames emanating from their joints and the swirling celestial clouds portray their extraordinary powers.

Such censers comprised part of a five-piece altar garniture and would have created an imposing scene during ritual ceremonies, thus emphasising the importance and solemnity of such events. These garnitures were produced for specific temples in the Imperial Palace and were generally commissioned as tribute to the emperor. In addition to the censer, a complete set of altar garnitures would also comprise two pear-shape vases derived from archaic hu vases, and two candlesticks. A similar altar set in the Robert H. Clague collection, now in the Phoenix Art Museum, Phoenix, was included in the museum's exhibition China’s Renaissance in Bronze, Phoenix Art Museum, Phoenix, 1994, cat. no. 38; See also an altar set sold in these rooms, 11^th April 2008, lot 2826. An undecorated set of altar garnitures, in the Xianruo Temple, located in the garden of Cining Gong (Palace of Compassion and Tranquility) is illustrated in situ in Qingdai gongting shenghuo (Life in the Forbidden City), Hong Kong, 1985, p. 299, pl. 467.

Ritual vessels of this type were also decorated with phoenix instead of dragons, indicating that they may have been commissioned as a tribute to the Qianlong emperor’s mother. See a bronze altar vase, from the Alfred Morrison collection, sold at Christie’s London, 9^th November 2004, lot 17; and another pair of imperial bronze vessels cast with dragons and phoenix made for one of the buildings in the Yuanmingyuan (Imperial Summer Palace), sold three times in our Hong Kong rooms and most recently 9^th October 2007, lot 1322. 

Bronzes of this type were cast with the relief decoration which was then finished through cold working. By defining form and articulating details with a hammer and chisel after casting, they acquired the crispness associated with cinnabar carved lacquer after which they were modelled (see China’s Renaissance in Bronze, op. cit., p. 185).