A RARE GOLD-SPLASHED BRONZE ALMS-BOWL INCENSE BURNER SEAL MARK AND PERIOD OF YONGZHENG

cast with a compressed globular body with a rounded shoulder below an incurved lipped mouthrim, the exterior decorated with random gold splashes, the flat base centred with a six-character reign mark within a recessed panel

The censer is in overall good condition. There are some expected surface scratches and typical occasional dents to the sides or along the rim and foot rim. The gold splashes are tarnished as visible on the photo. There is some wear and mild discolouration to the rim and to the underside, consistent with the age and handling. The actual colour is consistent, if not slightly less red compared to 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."

It is rare to find Yongzheng mark and period censers of this alms-bowl form, and the present piece is particularly attractive on account of its large and irregular splashes that recall the form of clouds. Yongzheng reign-marked bronze vessels in general are extremely rare, and only a few are recorded. A smaller alms bowl bronze censer of the Yongzheng reign, from the Water, Pine and Stone Retreat Collection, was sold in these rooms 8th April 2014, lot 203. For other Yongzheng-marked bronze vessels sold at auction, see a rectangular bronze incense burner of fang ding form from the collection of Soame Jenyns, sold at Christie’s London, 12th July 2005, lot 47, and again at Christie’s Hong Kong, 1st June 2011, lot 3619; a tripod incense burner from the collection of Ronald Longsdorf, sold at Christie’s New York, 15th/16th September 2011, lot 1160; and a gui-shaped incense burner sold at Bonham's San Francisco, 13th December 2010, lot 5146. 

Censers of this form and decoration are more commonly found without a reign mark; see two with apocryphal Xuande marks, sold in these rooms, the first, 15th May 1990, lot 353, and the second, 23rd October 2005, lot 474; and a slightly smaller example from the Water, Pine and Stone Retreat Collection, inscribed bao yong under the base, was included in the Oriental Ceramic Society of Hong Kong exhibition Arts from the Scholar’s Studio, Fung Ping Shan Museum, Hong Kong, 1986, cat. no. 229, where it is noted (p. 238) that “a vessel like this which combines this symbolism [of the idealised wandering monk] with the archaic meaning of gold splashed bronzes is a subtle statement of fundamental literati values”. This vessel was sold in these rooms, 8th April 2013, lot 117. Compare also a censer of this form but lacking the gold splashes, and attributed to the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) included in the exhibition The Second Bronze Age. Later Chinese Metalwork, Sydney L. Moss Ltd., London, 1991, cat. no. 45.

The origin of gilt-splashed decoration remains a source of speculation. In the catalogue to the Oriental Ceramic Society of Hong Kong exhibition op. cit., p. 184, Gerard Tsang and Hugh Moss mention that the popularity of this surface decoration was possibly fostered by Xuande bronzes of the Ming dynasty where the appearance of the gilt splashes was caused by the uneven surface patination of the vessels. On the other hand, some scholars have linked gilt-splashed decoration on bronzes to brown-splashed qingbai and Longquan wares of the Song, Yuan and Ming dynasties. Robert Mowry in the exhibition catalogue China’s Renaissance in Bronze, Phoenix Art Museum, Phoenix, 1993, p. 169, notes the appearance of fine paper enlivened with flecks of gold and silver from the early 15th century and suggests that this “might have also played a role in the creation of such abstract decoration, either directly inspiring those who designed the bronzes or indirectly moulding taste to appreciate objects sprinkled with gold and silver”.