A rare bronze 'foreigners' rectangular censer and cover, 17th / 18th century | 十七 / 十八世紀 銅胡人獻寶長方熏爐

New York Private Collection, acquired in the early 1960s, and thence by descent.

來源：

紐約私人收藏，得於1960年代初，此後家族傳承

Finely cast in detail with two foreigners of strong build holding up a rectangular censer with a cover and Buddhist lion final on top, the present lot is an exemplary example of its type. Readily identifiable by their clothes and distinctive facial features, foreigners were often seen represented in works of art during the 17th and 18th century, indicative of the cultural curiosity and fascination of the West at this time.

A closely related censer, similarly cast but of smaller size, sold in our London rooms, 16th May 2007, lot 367; another, of larger size, without a cover nor decoration cast to the censer, previously sold at Christie's New York, 14th September 2017, lot 925, and then again in these rooms, 20th September 2023, lot 800.