Page 18 - Nov. 2019 Christie's Hong Kong Important Chinese Ceramics

fig. 1 Collection of the National Palace Museum, Taipei fig. 2 Former collection of J. M. Hu, sold at Christie's Hong Kong,
எӬ இ⛁ᘢ༈ࢷ⁒㩴⻦৅ 30 May 2005, Lot 1239
எՀ ⫽ዃᛌ⯠⻦卿㲞ᳰצ೥ᇑ卿 ჺ ᝲ ᚚ卿ᐽ৅ ⽚

2906 Continued
With the technical advances and virtuosity of porcelain production Գ㪏ᇙ⚨ᅐἃᶕ㑷⎑Ⴝཌᙲഞ㉑㈷⎏㘤᭯卿ㅳה߅पᅴ֎ᘤӶऱឬ㐏⎏
during the Qianlong period, potters from the official kilns were able to ≢଍卿ൈ֎ណǮ֎ᶜǮ֎⒢Ǯ֎㠩✙଍⁒卿⩧ទᐽ৅᫈ྏ֎㠩㯸ߣǯཝ
experiment with different ways and techniques to satisfy the emperor's ᅸ՞ݣࡠ⎏ᛓ卿ទ‐⢙भऒ㬪㠩଍ࣿằ㞖㠩଍Ԡ݉⡵卿ऑᯒ᧘ࣇ֎ऒ゗
penchant for the curious and archaic. Porcelain was frequently used to
simulate works of art made from other media, including hardstones, ⡠卿ӳᙼ៏⒢⣔㞏卿ᚺ㰆֎ᘤਦॶ㬪㠩଍Ԡ⎪ᬄࣿ⡠㱈厎ݯ㱛ׅ⧡ߺᶕ
cloisonné enamels, wood, lacquer, and in this instance bronze. The ⧜ㆁⰰ㞏卿ӳằ㞖⟾卿᧘֎ᚺ᳖ᛞឆᙔ՞ᡪӳ჎㇦⎏ằ㞖㠩‐ǯ㪃ࢎս
present censer is all the more unusual as it incorporates elements of Ӷऱ㞏ⰰ⠦भऒի݉⡵卿ज㋵ߣ߅ᇵㅅ卿ࢎᇵℒ㙛ǯ
both archaic bronzes and later gilt-splashed bronzes. The moulded
band of cicada blades applied with greenish-turquoise around the ൈ᫉ヿ㙤Ꮫᯧ㬳჎ཐ㇦ǯஇ⛁ᘢ༈ࢷ⁒㩴⻦ӬԳ㪏≢‐卿ऱ᧙ᙼऒ㠩㞏
mouth is undoubtedly an effort to imitate the patina and decorations ࣿ៏⒢⣔㞏卿ֿஎᡪӶӬ᧙卿㱈㧷ݏ䂆⡠卿ⶬ㢙ᙻ ჺझ࢈߅‸Ƕᘢ
found on archaic bronzes from the Shang and Zhou dynasties. On the ༈᫓ջ㲞ݰஎ㢙Ƿ卿எ‸ ǯऔ㇦Ӭ⢑‐≡⏁卿㞏ⰰ⏟㯸卿㇦߿ᔘᝧ卿
other hand, the russet glaze suffused with gold dust is reminiscent
of the gilt-splashed bronze censers from the later Ming and Qing எ‸ ⽚卻ॲː卼ǯըὙԠ⯠⻦Ӭ։≢⫭‐卿ऱ᧙⢙भऒ㠩㞏ࣿ៏⒢
dynasties, often made for the scholar’s desks. ⣔㞏ս֎ᾅ㬪㠩ᙹ䀢⡠㱈卿 ჺ ᝲ ᚚᙻ㲞ᳰ⼖༛ᬘᐽ㐈卿ᐽ৅
⽚ǯ⫽ዃᛌ⯠⻦Ӭ֎㠩≢㈓卿 ჺ ᝲ ᚚᙻ㲞ᳰצ೥ᇑᐽ㐈卿
Porcelain censers combining these two elements are extremely rare. A
censer which is similarly enamelled in turquoise and gilt-russet in imitation ᐽ৅ ⽚卻ॲ̤卼卿Քज㏱ࣻ⩠ǯ
of gilt-bronze, but with a different pattern featuring dragons reserved in औजࣻ⩠Ӭ։⫽ዃᛌ⯠⻦ǮԳ㪏᪪≢⫭֎㤒㞖ᓌ⢵⇈⇶Ӳ㑷‐卿 ჺ
cartouches, is in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, included in A Special
Exhibition of Incense Burners and Perfumers Throughout the Dynasties, ᝲ ᚚ卿ᐽ৅ ⽚ǯ
1994, illustrated in the Catalogue, no. 83. Another censer with a similar
colour scheme, as part of a set with an incense box and tool vase, is
illustrated ibid., no. 89 (fig. 1). A porcelain censer in the form of a fangding,
also combining turquoise and russet, was formerly in the E.T. Chow
Collection, sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 16 December 1980, lot 528, and
a gu-shaped vase from the J.M. Hu Collection was sold at Christie’s Hong
Kong, 30 May 2005, lot 1239 (fig. 2).
Compare also to a porcelain tripod censer decorated in a variety of
colours in imitation of cloisonné enamels, formerly in the J.M. Hu
Collection, sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 30 May 2005, lot 1240.

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