A Dehua tripod incense burner, ding. Late Ming dynasty. Photo Bonhams

Raised on three slim and tall cylindrical feet, the bulbous body moulded in lower relief with a frieze of keyfret scrolls set between a pair of bow-string borders, a pair of bail handles flanked each sides at the rim, the base with four-character maker's mark 'linjie shengzhi', all on white glaze of ivory tone. 14.5cm high. Sold for HK$42,000

晚明 德化白仿古高足鼎

A similar incense burner is illustrated in Blanc de Chine, S.Marchant & Son, London, 2006, no.71; another example is in the Meiyintang collection, illustrated in R.Krahl, Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, Vol.2, London, 1994, p.298, no.995. For a larger tripod incense burner in the Palace Museum, Beijing, see The Complete Collection of Treasures of The Palace Museum 37. Monochrome Porcelain, Hong Kong, 1999, no.108.

Bonhams. FINE CHINESE ART, 25 May 2011 to 26 May 2011, Hong Kong, Island Shangri-La Hotel www.bonhams.com