Lot 3448
  • 3448

AN EXQUISITE AND RARE CLOISONNE ENAMEL INCENSE BURNER MING DYNASTY, EARLY 15TH CENTURY |

Estimate
700,000 - 900,000 HKD
bidding is closed

Description

  • 5.7 cm, 2 1/4  in.
cast with a gently tapered body supported on three short gilt-bronze ruyi feet, the exterior decorated in cloisonné enamels with three large lotus blooms rendered with multi-coloured petals, each borne on a gilt-bronze undulating stem issuing red, blue, yellow, white and green leaves and an attendant lotus bloom, all against a bright turquoise ground

Condition

Good overall condition with just tiny areas of retouching where the enamels had flaked. Other general surface wear, oxidisation and rubbing to the gilding.
"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

The quality of the enamelling on this rare small incense burner is very high. It is conceived in an unusually intricate, baroque style and executed in a particularly lavish technique. The wires are used as if in a drawing, not only outlining and enclosing the colours, but also delineating detail within monochrome cells. The three lotus blooms are different, composed of variously rendered and coloured petals. Similarly complex lotus flowers can be seen on an incense burner from the collections of Mrs M.J. Shepherd and Frederick Knight, now in the Uldry collection, illustrated in Brinker & Lutz, Helmut Brinker and Albert Lutz, Chinese Cloisonné: The Pierre Uldry Collection, London, 1989 (German edition Zurich, 1985), col. pl. 15, and sold in our London rooms, 15th June 1982, lot 129. Compare also the enamelling of the lotus flowers and scrolling foliage on a cloisonné enamel beaker vase from the Qing court collection, preserved in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in the Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Metal-bodied Enamel Ware, Hong Kong, 2002, pl. 25.