A LARGE AND RARE BRONZE INCENSE BURNER TRAY LATE MING DYNASTY

the shallow circular tray cast with a galleried rim, all supported on three cabriole legs issuing from a slightly smaller footring of corresponding form, the legs cast in the form of a blooming sacred lily and a cluster of small globular fruit, flanked on the sides with lingzhi-shaped clouds, the base centred with an apocryphal six-character Xuande mark within a rectangular cartouche, the dark brown surface with malachite encrustation

Sydney L. Moss Ltd., London.

Philip K. Hu, Later Chinese Bronzes - The Saint Louis Art Museum and Robert Kresko Collections, St. Louis, 2008, cat. no. 7.

Oxidisation to the body, as visible in the catalogue photo, bruises and other expected wear.
"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."

The function of this large bronze vessel, exceptional for its sheer size, and for the quality of the auspicious sacred lily and lingzhi shaped clouds on the three cabriole feet, is unclear, but it is likely to be a tray for burning incense, derived from an archaic ritual prototype. The possible prototype is a type of bronze tray from the Han dynasty, part of a set of two with a cylindrical wine container. An example excavated in Shaanxi in 1950 or 1951, preserved in the Palace Museum, Beijing, is illustrated in Wan-go H.C. Weng and Yang Boda, The Palace Museum, Peking: Treasures of the Forbidden City, New York, 1982, p. 143, no. 76. Like the current vessel, it is completely plain and undecorated apart from the three animal-form supports, and inscription dating it to AD 45.