AN ARCHAISTIC 'DEHUA' CENSER LATE MING / EARLY QING DYNASTY

of gui-form, the recessed neck applied with a band of florettes alternating with roundels and centered by taotie, flanked by beast masks issuing loop handles with tab terminals, raised on a high hollow foot with stepped base and impressed with a double-row of leiwen, the base with an impressed square jinfeng seal mark

In overall good condition with minor firing imperfections including burst glaze bubbles. With typical minor 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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

A nearly identical example is in the Hickley Collection, illustrated in Rose Kerr and John Ayers, Blanc de Chine: Porcelain from Dehua, Chicago, 2002, pl. 71. Compare a similar example but with a single band of leiwen around the foot illustrated in P.J. Donnelly, Blanc de Chine, London, 1969, pl. 14B, from the author's collection; and another illustrated in Robert H. Blumenfield, Blanc de Chine: The Great Porcelain of Dehua, Berkeley, 2002, pl. 104B. A similar censer was sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 17th May 1988, lot 41. Compare also an inlaid bronze gui attributed to Hu Wenming with similar decoration below the rim illustrated by Sheila Riddell, Dated Chinese Antiquities 600-1650, London, 1979, pl. 128, with an inscription dated to the tenth year of Wanli, corresponding to 1583.