Page 58 - Christie's Fine Chiense Works of Art November 2018 London

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A RARE PARCEL-GILT AND LACQUERED BRONZE FOUR- Bronze vessels with Chenghua marks and of the period are exceptionally
LEGGED CENSER rare. In fact, Soame Jenyns himself acknowledges this point in Soame
CHENGHUA SIX-CHARACTER CAST MARK AND PROBABLY OF THE Jenyns and William Watson, Chinese Art. The Minor Arts, London, 1963, p.
PERIOD (1465-1487)
137, where it is mentioned that it is unusual to fnd reign marks other than
The censer is of square form, cast to each side with an animal mask, between Xuande on Ming bronzes. With this in mind, it is interesting to see two such
two bands of lotus lappets, all below a pair of ‘S’-shaped handles to the examples of Ming bronze vessels without Xuande marks (the current lot with
shoulder. The vessel is supported on four legs cast in the form of mythical Chenghua mark and lot 21 with Zhengde mark) in Soame Jenyn’s personal
beast heads. collection. It is evident that the bronze pieces in this collection not only
5Ω in. (14 cm.) wide
refect Jenyn’s taste but also his academic interests.
£15,000-25,000 $20,000-33,000
€17,000-28,000 A few other examples of bronze vessels with Chenghua marks are known, all
of which display the same characteristic ‘S’-form handles seen on the current
PROVENANCE
censer. See a censer which is almost identical to the current one sold at
Collection of the late Soame Jenyns (1904-1976), then by descent within the
Sotheby’s New York, 21 March 2015, lot 743.
family.
明成化或更晚 局部鎏金銅獸首雙耳四足爐 An important gold and silver wire-inlaid censer attributed to the ‘Wan family’
and of Chenghua mark and period, sold at Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 4 April
「大明成化年造」款 2012, lot 158.
來源: 英國學者詹甯斯(1904-1976)舊藏, 家傳至今 See also a Chenghua mark and period censer with very similar mythical
beast head-form feet, sold at Christie’s London, 6 November 2012, lot 169;
and another example also with comparable feet but of square ding-form, sold
at Christie’s London 14 May 2013, lot 167.

(mark)

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