A SPLENDID AND RARE GOLD AND SILVER-INLAID BRONZE CENSER HAN DYNASTY |

the deep rounded sides supported on a tall splayed foot, set around the body with a raised band decorated with two registers of meshed double chevrons inlaid with silver and divided by a raised fillet, all above pendent triangular lappets, the domed cover well cast in openwork with a central quadrilobed flower head surrounded by foliate scrolls detailed with fine gold inlay (2)

Nagatani Inc., Chicago, 1st May 1957. 
Collection of Stephen Junkunc, III (d. 1978).

The cover with an approx. 3.3 cm wide section broken into a few pieces and restored.There are a few small chips scattered along the rim. The censer with possible touch-ups along the bottom of the lip and areas of the raised band. Some minor dents to the rim and a few chips and a crack to the foot. Overall both the cover and censer with expected age-related wear and some minor losses to the inlay, as well as some encrustation to the surface.
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.

Luxuriously decorated in gold and silver with meticulously executed designs,  the quality and complexity of the present piece surpass most examples of this type, suggesting it was likely used by someone of high status, such as members of the the Han dynasty imperial family. The design on the present censer is extremely rare, and no other examples appear to be published. Compare a related gilt-bronze censer of a slightly compressed form, similarly fashioned with an undecorated raised band around the body interrupted by a pair of ring handles, excavated from the tomb of Liu Sheng, the Prince of Zhongshan of the Western Han dynasty, in Mancheng, Hebei province, published in Institute of Archaeology, CASS, ed., Mancheng Hanmu fajue baogao [Archaeological report of the Han tombs in Mancheng], vol. 2, Beijing, 1980, pl. CLXXVI, fig. 1; and another modeled in a more stout form, in the Idemitsu Collection, Tokyo, published in Ancient Chinese Arts in the Idemitsu Collection, Tokyo, 1989, pl. 204.

See also a related bronze censer with a less elaborate design, from the Western Han dynasty, exhibited in Ancient Chinese and Ordos Bronzes, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1990, cat. no. 44; another with a circular tray, sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 16th November 1973, lot 15; and two illustrated in Ovar Karlbeck, 'Selected Objects from Ancient Shou-Chou', Bulletin of the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities, no. 27, Stockholm, 1955, pls 3 and 4.