Lot 3759. A finely cast gilt-bronze 'chimera' incense burner and cover, mark and period of Xuande (1426-1435); 17.7 cm, 6 1/2  in. Estimate 700,000 — 900,000 HKD. Lot sold 875,000 HKD. Photo: Sotheby's.

boldly cast as an incense burner in the form of a luduan depicted standing on a snake-like mythical creature, gripping it with its four claws, the serpentine figure coiled around forming the base of the vessel, the beast’s head flaring nostrils and bushy eyebrows, the hollow body cast with flaming flanks, the back flames terminating in stylised ruyi heads, around an elaborate tail with skilfully delineated tufts of hair, the chest cast with a long strip of scaling decorated with an elaborate collar around its shoulders, suspending a bell and two ornamental tassels, the underside of the body cast with a six-character mark within a recessed panel, the head also hollow with mouth open enabling egress, its mane meticulously cast with ruyi, all richly gilt save for the interior of the vessel.

Provenance: Sotheby’s New York, 1st December 1992, lot 203

Note: This fine incense burner is striking for its rich gilding and detailed rendering of the mythical beast, cast with a ferocious expression, a finely combed mane and powerful horned claws. A related censer, cast with a Xuande mark on the collar, from the Water, Pine and Stone Retreat collection, was sold in these rooms, 8th April 2014, lot 233. This piece is also stylistically comparable to a Xuande mark and period incense burner decorated with two dragons, included in the exhibition Arts from the Scholar’s Studio, Fung Ping Shan Museum, Hong Kong, 1986, cat. no. 139, and another example sold in these rooms, 5th October 2011, lot 1943.

Gerard Tsang and Hugh Moss in Arts from the Scholar’s Studio, ibid., p. 240, note that the Xuande Emperor ordered large numbers of incense burners to be cast during his reign for the imperial palaces and temples. The origin of incense burners of this form is difficult to determine; however they appear to have been popular by the end of the Ming dynasty as evidenced in a woodblock print, Shijuzhai zhencang jianpu, which was first published in 1645, illustrated in Chinese Bamboo Carving, vol. 1, Hong Kong, 1978, p. 179, fig. 15, which depicts a similar mythical beast with a serpent-like dragon emerging out of water. Furthermore, pieces of this form were produced in various media; for example see a bamboo version, illustrated in Chinese Bamboo Carving, ibid., pl. 26; and a Longquan celadon example attributed to the 16th century, from the Maeda family collection, sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 28th May 2014, lot 3413.

Incense burners of this type were modelled to allow the smoke of the burning incense to emerge from the beast’s mouth, giving the impression of a living creature breathing smoke. As Chuimei Ho and Bennet Bronson expound in their discussion of a pair of Qianlong cloisonné enamel examples from the Palace Museum, Beijing, included in the exhibition Splendors of China’s Forbidden City. The Glorious Reign of Emperor Qianlong, The Field Museum, Chicago, 2004, these burners were traditionally valued at the Imperial Court, as with their open mouths and smoke billowing forth, they were a reminder to the Emperor that he should always be receptive to honest advice (see p. 37).

Sotheby’s. Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, Hong Kong, 08 oct. 2014, 03:00 PM