A massive and extremely rare cloisonné enamel 'sanyang' censer, Qing dynasty, Qianlong Period | 清乾隆 銅胎掐絲琺瑯三羊開泰寶塔式三足大熏爐

Spink & Son Ltd., London, 5th July 1965.

Spink & Son Ltd.，倫敦，1965年7月5日

This massive censer is a classic example of Qing imperial cloisonné in terms of its elaborate design and scale. Its cover takes the form of a pagoda, a popular design feature at the Qing court. A pair of cylindrical censers with pagoda tops can be seen, for example, on either side of the imperial throne in the Qianqing Hall (乾清宮) of the Forbidden City, as illustrated in Chuimei Ho and Bennet Bronson, Splendors of China's Forbidden City - The Glorious Reign of Emperor Qianlong, London, 2004, pls 32 and 34, pp 47-48.

The censer is resting on feet in the form of three rams, another popular motif at the Qing court. The ram (or goat), yang, is a traditional emblem of good fortune, as it is a homophone of the term for 'sun', thus referring to the positive principle. Three rams, san yang, evoke the expression 'san yang kai tai', 'the awakening of nature in spring', which equally signifies good fortune and happiness, and therefore became a popular design conveying auspicious blessings for the new year. Compare a yellow jade zun in similar design, from the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Yang Boda, Chinese Jades throughout the Ages, vol. 12, Hong Kong, 1997, pl. 37. 

A related pair of large incense burners with pagoda form covers is on display at the Wallace Collection, London, and published online (accession nos OA2367 and OA2368); and a related censer with three feet in ram form, but attributed to the Jiaqing period, sold in our London rooms, 4th May 1984, lot 465; another of smaller size, sold at Christie's London, 15th May 2012, lot 100. A pair of large cloisonné enamel incense burners in the collection of the British Museum, each resting on three feet in the form of cranes, is illustrated in Jessica Rawson, The British Museum Book of Chinese Art, London, 1992, pl. 142, p. 189.

Related censers cast in bronze can be seen throughout the Imperial Gardens of the Forbidden City, in the grounds of the Palace Museum, Beijing, as illustrated in Zhang Li, 'Qinggong tongqi zhizao kao. Yi Yong, Qian er chao weili. [Study of bronze production at the Qing court from examples of Yongzheng and Qianlong era]', Gugong Bowuyuan yuankan / Palace Museum Journal , 2013, vol.5, pl. 5:1, p. 99; another large bronze incense burner with three crane-form feet, of Qianlong six-character mark and period, is on display in the garden of Chonghua Palace, also in the Palace Museum, see Zhang Li, op. cit., pl. 7:1, p. 100.

此香爐器型宏大，紋飾繁複精美，無論設計及尺寸均屬清代掐絲琺瑯典範。爐蓋呈寶塔形，常見於清代宮廷設計。比較一對圓柱形香爐例，爐蓋呈寶塔形，見於紫禁城乾清宮寶座兩側，圖載於何翠媚及 Bennet Bronson，《Splendors of China's Forbidden City. The Glorious Reign of Emperor Qianlong》，倫敦及紐約，2004年，圖版 32及34，頁47至48 。

三羊爐足屬清代宮廷流行設計。而羊與「陽」諧音，乃傳統吉祥象徵，三羊則寓「三羊開泰」，寓意春季大地回春 ，象徵吉祥幸福，因此作爲傳統新年祝賀甚爲流行。對比 北京故宮博物院一黃玉三羊尊例，造型相近，圖見楊伯達，《中國玉器全集》，卷12，香港， 1997 年，圖版37。

另比一對寶塔形蓋大香爐例，現展於倫敦華勒斯典藏館，並載於網上（編號 OA2367 及 OA2368）；再比一香爐例，爐足亦為三羊，斷代嘉慶，1984年5月4日售於倫敦蘇富比，編號465；另一例尺寸較小，2012 年 5 月 15 日售於倫敦蘇佳士得，編號 100。大英博物館藏一對掐絲琺瑯三足香爐，鶴形爐足，圖載傑西卡•羅森，《大英博物館中國藝術叢書》，倫敦，1992年，圖版142，頁189。

北京故宮博物院收藏多件相關的銅香爐例，圖載張麗，〈清宮銅器製造考—以雍、乾二朝為例〉，《故宮博物院院刊》，2013 年5 期，圖版5:1，頁 99；另一銅香爐作例尺寸龐大，三足以鶴為造型，鑄乾隆六字款，現藏於故宮博物院重華宮，見張麗，前述出處，圖版7:1，頁100。