Lot 305. A rare pair of tianqi and qiangjin lacquer square 'floral' incense stands, 17th century. Each 90.4cm (35 1/2in) high. (2). Sold for £88,500 (Estimate  £70,000-90,000). © Bonhams 2001-2022

Each finely incised and coloured in varying shades of red, green and burnt amber shading to black, all picked out with traces of gold filling the incisions, the square tops finely incised and gilt with a central panel depicting a gnarled branch of blossoming peonies, surrounded by a border enclosing four cartouches decorated with 'The Four Gentlemen', namely orchids, bamboo, prunus and chrysanthemums, all reserved on a diaper ground, the recessed waist with lotus designs over a broad, cusped and barbed apron also decorated with chrysanthemums, all raised on four tall curling legs painted with florettes and foliage, terminating in outward curving acanthus feet.  

Note: The present lot is a rare and fine example of the painted lacquer craftsmanship used for Imperial furniture in the Court, combining the techniques of qiangjin ('etched gold') with incised and gilt lines of the design, and tianqi ('filled-in') with applied coloured lacquer set in contrast to the ground colour. Both techniques served to accentuate the effect of opulence and richness of the design in the Palace setting.

Compare with a similar lacquer 'dragon' incense stand, 17th century, in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (acc.no.M.2004.51). See also a related incense stand in a woodblock print from Tan qing wan, late Ming dynasty, illustrated by C.Evarts, C.L.Ma Collection: Traditional Chinese Furniture from the Greater Shanxi Region, Hong Kong, 1999, p.200, where he also illustrates a related nanmu incense stand of similar shape, 18th century, no.98. Another related incense stand is in another woodblock print from Pipa ji, Wanli, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Furniture of the Ming and Qing Dynasties (I), Hong Kong, 2002, p.24.

Stands were used in both religious and secular contexts and served a variety of purposes, as contemporaneous paintings and woodblock prints illustrate. They were usually positioned in the centre of a shrine or in a room, such stands often supported incense burners. The Buddhist world was thought of as being suffused with with clouds and wondrously fragrant incense, creating magical realms that uplifted and purified the spirit; incense carried the piety and the desire of the worshippers to the gods and brought down the deities' purifying breath. It thus created the ideal mood to sustain a great debate between the bodhisattva and the learned layman and spreads their wisdom throughout the world; see S.Handler, The austere Luminosity of Chinese Classical Lacquer, Hong Kong, 2001, p.225.

Incense was not just used during the performance of religious rituals; Sothern Song connoisseur, Zhao Xigu, in his guidebook focusing on the scholar's elegant taste, has a chapter on the antique zither referring to the burning of incense whilst playing. Incense purified and concentrated the mind, producing that exaltation necessary for both playing and appreciating music; see S.Handler, The Austere Luminosity of Chinese Classical Furniture, Hong Kong, 2001, p.297. Stands also supported a variety of other objects including miniature gardens and antiques.

See another 'elephant' incense stand, 18th century, with similarly decorated tall curling legs with slipper feet, which was sold at Bonhams London, 16 May 2019, lot 75, and a related 'dragon' incense stand, 17th century, which was sold at Sotheby's New York, 20 March 2019, lot 714.

Bonhams. Imperial Painted Lacquer Furniture and Scholar's Objects from China's Ming and Early Qing Dynasties, 3 November 2022, London, New Bond Street