Lot 3350
  • 3350

A LARGE GOLD AND SILVER-INLAID BRONZE INCENSE BURNER, GUI LATE MING DYNASTY

Estimate
600,000 - 800,000 HKD
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Description

  • silver and gold inlaid bronze
of archaistic gui form, the gently rounded body supported on a deep, splayed foot, integrally cast with two handles in the form of a pair of stylised kui dragons, the two main sides each with an identical design cast with a taotie mask, all above an outer-footrim band of two confronting dragons, the neck decorated with a further pair of confronting kui dragons enclosing a mythical beast mask, the handles with the facial features in relief and the bodies decorated with archaistic motifs, the detail all inlaid in gold and silver, the interior cast with a short inscription

Provenance

Christie’s London, 21st April 1986, lot 234.
Spink & Son Ltd., London, May 1986.

Condition

As visible in the catalogue photo, there is extensive encrustration. There is an exposed hole below the right handle, probably from the original casting process. Rubbing and loss of detail to inlays. General surface wear, but overall 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."

Catalogue Note

Amongst all archaistic bronze vessels, incense burners take pride of place and archaistic burners of this size are very rare. The present example combines a powerful shape which has a certain resemblance to archaistic jade censers. The inlay is fine and lively, and the skilful artificial patination creates an antique appearance.

The dating of these archaistic bronzes is still somewhat unclear. Although the strong shape suggests an early Ming period, the finesse of the inlay hints at a slightly later date. A bracket of 16th-18th century is possible, but in Hausmann’s estimation a late Ming date seems most likely. For a closely related gold and silver inlaid vessel of you form in the British Museum attributed to the 18th century, see The British Museum Book of Chinese Art, London, 1992, fig. 48.     

Referring to the importance of reverence to the past in Chinese art, Ulrich Hausmann writes:

"Archaic bronzes and their inscriptions, the subject of centuries of epigraphic and stylistic studies by literary men and artists, became inseparable, so much so that since that time scholars writing characters have seen at the back of their minds the image of ancient bronze vessels whose rubbings they had carefully studied. Generations of painters and calligraphers [...] spent a lifetime studying these inscriptions. What could be more fitting than to embellish one's studio with subtle allusions to the magnificent past, or to furnish the ancestral altar with vessels expressing the continuation of their inheritance." (Quote from Ulrich Hausmann, Later Chinese Bronzes: In Search of Later Bronzes in Documentary Chinese Works of Art: In Scholars' Taste, Ed. Paul Moss, Sydney L. Moss, London, 1983, p.233, requoted again by Hugh Moss and Gerard Tsang in Arts from the Scholar's Studio, The Oriental Ceramic Society of Hong Kong and the Fung Ping Shan Museum, University of Hong Kong, 1986, cat. no. 161.