Lot 3664. A large cloisonné enamel incense burner, Ming dynasty, 15th century; 22.6 cm. Estimate: 260,000 - 320,000 HKD. Lot sold: 277,200 HKD. Courtesy Sotheby's.

resting on three gilt-bronze feet rendered with cloud scrolls echoed on the handles, the exterior enamelled with leafy scrolls issuing lotus blooms of various sizes, the interior of the flaring rim with a frieze depicting clusters of grapes, the underside with a double vajra centred with a yinyang symbol and surrounded by flowerheads, all brightly enamelled against a turquoise ground. 

Note: It is rare to find a cloisonne incense burner of this large size and form. Its shape closely relates to blue and white basins from the Yongle period. Two such basins in the Qing Court collection are illustrated in Blue and White Porcelain with Underglaze Red (I), The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Beijing, 2000, nos 49 & 50. Another in the Tokyo National Museum is illustrated by Fujioka Ryoichi, Ming Blue and White, vol. 42, Tokyo, 1975, pl. .

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art, Hong Kong, 22 april 2021