Page 176 - China's Renaissance in Bronze, The Robert H.CIague Collection of Later Chinese Bronzes 1100-1900

in the Qing/ probably without reference to the Xuande tradition it claims
to follow. If there is indeed a connection to Xuande bronzes, it surely lies
in the gold-splashed decoration, a style of ornament introduced in the
Xuande reign and forever associated with it in the minds of succeeding
generations. Illustrations in Xuande yiqi tupu suggest that Xuande bronzes
with gold-splashed decoration displayed small flecks of gold, 5 however,
rather than the large splashes that are characteristic of Qing bronzes. A
typical feature of Yuan, Ming, and Qing vessels [see discussion, 17], the
elephant-head handles may also indicate a tie to the Xuande tradition,
since an illustration in Xuande yiqi tupu reveals that at least a few Xuande
bronzes had such handles. 6
The elephant heads' simple style and cursory finish, evident in the
unembellished tops of their heads and in the unarticulated spaces within
their ears, point to a nineteenth-century date of manufacture for this censer,
a date consistent with the mark's calligraphic style. It remains unclear, how-
ever, whether this censer represents an original nineteenth-century design
or merely a copy of a Kangxi original (as suggested by its Tang-style form and
Kangxi-style calligraphy).
The hardwood covers with which some censers were outfitted [see
discussion, 24] could be used only when the censers were cool, their fires
completely dead; such covers served practical as well as aesthetic functions,
protecting the censer from dust, which might taint the fragrance of the
incense, and completing the censer's form when not in use by covering its
yawning mouth. Openwork metal covers, in contrast, were used while
burning incense; also serving both aesthetic and practical functions, they
imparted patterns to the rising smoke and prevented exploding embers
from popping out of the censer, thus reducing the chance of fire. Planned
to complement the decor of the censer, reticulated designs vary consid-
erably from cover to cover: some, such as the present example, feature
formal geometric patterns; others incorporate floral scrolls [29]; and yet
others include dragons and phoenixes amidst clouds [21].
Of ancient origin, covers for incense burners date at least as early as
the Han dynasty. Han bronze and ceramic boshanlu censers have mountain-
7
shaped covers with tiny openings often partially hidden from view; reflecting
no interest in openwork patterns per se, the tiny apertures were concealed
behind the subsidiary peaks that flank the main mountain mass with the
hope that the emerging smoke would hover about the cover like mist
enshrouding a soaring peak. Buddhist censers of the Tang dynasty typi-
cally have domed covers with circular openings, the openings and their

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