A rare cloisonné enamel tripod incense burner, 15th century
Lot 209. A rare cloisonné enamel tripod incense burner, 15th century; 11.1cm (4 1/2in) diam. Sold for £ 47,750 (€ 56,486). (Estimate £ 4,000 - £6,000). © Bonhams 2001-2021
Of curved cylindrical form supported on three legs, expertly enamelled around the exterior with large lotus blooms in yellow, white and purple borne on leafy scrolls, all on a dark lapis-blue ground, the mouth with a further floral band on an emerald-green ground.
Provenance: Mrs Gret Hasler (1895-1971), Winterthur, Switzerland, and thence by descent.
A trip to New York, Chicago and Washington in 1937 was the starting point for Mrs Gret Hasler's interest in Chinese art. This she continued until the Second World War by acquiring objects from dealers in Paris, Sweden and New York.
Note: See a related cylindrical cloisonné enamel brush holder on three feet, decorated with grape vines, second half 15th century, illustrated by H.Brinker and A.Lutz, Chinese Cloisonné: The Pierre Uldry Collection, New York and London, 1989, no.31. Compare also with a cloisonné enamel tripod incense burner, early Ming dynasty, illustrated by B.Quette, ed., Cloisonné: Chinese Enamels from the Yuan, Ming, and Qing Dynasties, New York, 2011, p.231, no.14.
Bonhams. Fine Chinese Art: Including Imperial and Court Textiles Curated by Linda Wrigglesworth, London, 2 november 2021