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AN ARCHAIC BRONZE ‘MYTHICAL BEASTS’ 西漢 銅四象博山爐
CENSER AND COVER (BOSHANLU), WESTERN
HAN DYNASTY 來源
(2) Blitz Antiques，阿姆斯特丹（紐約亞洲藝術展會）
Height 11¾ in., 29.7 cm ，1999年4月14日
文獻
PROVENANCE
Figures and Landscapes in Asian Art，耶魯大學，紐希
Blitz Antiques, Amsterdam (International Asian Art Fair, New
York), 14th April 1999. 文，1999年

EXHIBITED
Figures and Landscapes in Asian Art, Yale University, New
Haven, 1999.
The boshanlu (Universal Mountain censer) is one of the most
iconic and visually striking forms within the Han dynasty
artistic canon. These mountain-shaped censers, believed
to have developed during the Western Han dynasty, held
both practical and symbolic significance. Likely introduced
to China from Western and Central Asia during the reign
of Emperor Han Wudi (141–87 BCE), they quickly became
associated with an idealized foreign realm and the mythical
mountains believed to be the dwelling places of Immortals.
The design of boshanlu reflects the Daoist conception of
sacred peaks where immortals live in eternal harmony.
Their form was not merely decorative but functional: the
perforated mountain motif allowed smoke from burning
incense to waft through the openings, imitating mist
rolling over lofty landscapes, thus enhancing the evocative
imagery of a mystical, otherworldly realm. Compare with a
similar boshanlu, preserved in the Palace Museum, Beijing
(accession no. 新00126175).

$ 20,000-30,000

124 SOTHEBY’S COMPLETE CATALOGUING AVAILABLE AT SOTHEBYS.COM/N11744 A COLLECTING JOURNEY: THE JANE AND LEOPOLD SWERGOLD COLLECTION 125