A rare teadust-glazed bombe censer, Xianfeng carved four-character seal mark and of the period (1851-1861) © Christie's Image 2003

With a pair of molded mask and ring handles, covered overall with a deep olive glaze thinning to golden buff color on the raised areas and on the mark, the foot rim covered in a purplish-brown wash - 5in. (12.7cm.) across handles. Lot 338. Estimate $3,000 - $4,000. Price Realized $8,365 

Provenance: Dr. Ip Yee Collection, Sotheby's, Hong Kong, 22 November 1984, lot 760. 

Property from the collection of Mr. and Mrs. James E. Breece III

Exhibited: Monochrome Ceramics of Ming and Ch'ing Dynasties, Min Chiu Society, Hong Kong Museum of Art, 1977, no. 103. 

Notes: Another teadust-glazed censer with the rare combination of this form, glaze and mark is illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum - Monochrome Porcelain, vol. 37, Beijing, 1999, p. 274, no. 251. And another was included in the exhibition, Selected Ceramics from the Collection of Mr. & Mrs. J.M. Hu, Shanghai Museum, 1989, no. 96. 

All three of these censers are made in imitation of bronze prototypes. 

Christie's. FINE CHINESE CERAMICS AND WORKS OF ART, 18 September 2003, New York, Rockefeller Plaza