Page 33 - Christie's, Important Chinese Works of Art December 2, 2015 HK

3108 渺湇䁢ᷕ⚳⎌ẋ⁛婒ᷕ䘬䤆䌠炻℞⢾⼊䳸⎰Ḯ漵柕ˣ渳幓ˣ
䄲䇒ˣ欂毿ˣ䈃⯦䫱䈡⽝ˤ㒂㻊姙ヶ˪婒㔯妋⫿˫姀庱烉
A RARE INLAID GILT-BRONZE QILIN-FORM Ⱦ渺炻ṩ䌠ḇ炻渳幓䈃⯦ᶨ奺烊游炷湇炸炻䈅渺ḇˤȿ䚠⁛
CENSER AND COVER ⎒⛐⣒⸛䚃ᶾ炻ㆾᶾ㚱俾Ṣ㗪㬌䌠ㇵ㚫↢䎦ˤ㖶㶭ℑ㛅炻姕
戭墥渺湇㕤⭖ᷕἄ䁢楁啘ἧ䓐炻⎴㗪Ṏ栗䣢䘯ⷅ㚱忻炻⎗䁢
QIANLONG PERIOD (1736-1795) ᶨẋ㖶⏃ˤ

The censer is powerfully cast standing foursquare in the form of a 㬌ẞ挷慹戭渺湇⼊楁啘炻㺧⳴ầ曺慹䞛ˣ䲭⮞䞛ˣ䠐䢚ˣ侉
qilin, the face with a ferocious snarl detailed with protruding eyes, 侈䫱䘬⎬刚䍣䐫炻刚⼑厗渿⭴屜ˤ☐ℏᷕ䨢炻柕⎗╖伖炻ẍ
pointed ears, and a bifurcated horn. The rotund body has a dorsal ἄ䃂楁ᷳ䓐ˤ
flange descending into a bifurcated tail and short wings above
sharp-clawed feet, inlaid all over with polychrome glass pastes
imitating various semi-precious stones, the undecorated areas
finely incised with overlapping scales.
9 ¡ in. (24 cm.) high, box

HK$1,800,000-2,800,000 US$240,000-360,000

Plain gilt-metal censers in the form of qilin, Buddhistic lions and other
beasts were produced since the Ming dynasty, but those with inlays
are extremely rare.

A very similar inlaid gilt-bronze qilin-form censer was sold at Christie’s
Paris, 15 June 2005, lot 219. Compare also a few hardstone inlaid
gilt-bronze qilin-form censers supporting a cylindrical funnel on their
back. The first one was formerly in the Herbert R. Bishop Collection,
sold at Christie’s London, 15 June 1999, lot 105 ; two others were sold
at Christie’s Hong Kong, 30 April 2000, lot 564 and 29-30 October
2001, lot 629 (the latter of parcel-gilt bronze) ; see also the censer in
the National Palace Museum, Taipei, illustrated in Special Exhibition
of Incense Burners and Perfumers Throughout the Dynasties, p.265,
no.119.

Comparable gilt-bronze mythical beasts are known such as the pair
with Qianlong marks and enamel inlays in the Victoria and Albert
Museum, illustrated in Stephen W. Bushell, Chinese Art II, London
1919, fig.96, p.79 ; and one of a pair of censers with turquoise inlays in
the Shenyang Palace Museum, illustrated in R.L.Thorp, Son of Heaven,
Imperial Arts in China, Seattle 1988, no.33, p.40.

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