Lot 1495. A bronze 'hill' censer and cover, boshanlu, Han dynasty (206 BC - AD 220); 7½ in. (19 cm.) high. Estimate 15,000 - USD 18,000. Price realised USD 25,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2013. 

The censer rises from the center of an integral dish with everted rim, and is raised on a stem foot cast on the base with foliate scroll reserved on a hatchured ground. The hemispherical bowl is encircled by a raised band, and the conical cover is cast in openwork as mountains, the lower peaks cast in low relief with various scenes incorporating animals and humans, including scenes of combat and hunting. The surface has a dark grey patina and areas of malachite encrustation. 

Provenance: Acquired in Japan before 1991. 

Exhibited: Kusaka Shogado, Tokyo, The Pleasures of Chinese Art, October 1991, no. 14.

Christie's. Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, New York, 19 - 20 September 2013