Lot 466. An archaic bronze incense burner and cover, boshanlu, Han dynasty; 29.8cm high. Estimate HK$40,000 - 60,000. Sold for HK$ 550,000 (€ 65,559). Courtesy Bonhams

The figure wearing simple loose garments, cast with both hands planted at the waist and standing above a recessed circular platform, surrounded by four chi dragons depicted in muscular bodywork, elongated tail and twisted heads, its face framed with prominent beard and head supporting a large semi-spherical cup further surmounted by a pierced cover, showing the mountain ranges in flames and decorated with bands of geometrical patterns.

Note: It is rare to find an example of a boshanlu mounted above a figure as well as an animal. See a comparable excavated example, unearthed in from a tomb in Hebei province in 1968, in the Hebei Provincial Museum, Hebei Province, illustrated in Zhongguo Qingtongqi Quanji 12. Qin Han, Beijing, 1998, p.130, no.128.

Bonhams. Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, Hong Kong, 24 November 2013