Page 79 - Bonhams Chinese Art March 2016 New York

8104

8104 This unusual construction, with two tiers, echoing the double
A CLOISONNÉ ENAMEL ‘PEACH’ INCENSE BURNER gourd form, demonstrates the skill and lively imagination of an 18th
18th century century workshop. The peach represents longevity, a popular theme
Formed in two tiers as stacked peaches, each enameled with throughout much of Chinese art history, and in this instance the
bats and clouds, wreathed with naturalistic gilt bronze branches subject matter is playfully conceived with intricately twisting leafy
sprouting enameled leaves and small gilt bronzes peaches, three branches and ripe rounded fruit. The wish for longevity is paired with
peaches forming the feet, with small gilt bronze bats applied all over the desire for wealth, represented by the bats both applied in gilt
the surface, with a finial formed as a peach resting upon a circular bronze and enameled within the cloisonné design.
reticulated grill in the shape of a stylized shou character, fashioned
in two parts for disassembly, the underside with a gilt four-character A very similar censer, formed as a single peach and dated Kangxi
Qianlong mark. period, was sold at Sotheby’s New York, 17 September 2013, sale
8 1/4in (21cm) high N09006, lot 280. A related incense burner and cover in the form
$10,000 - 15,000 of a three-lobed peach with applied gilt handles is illustrated by H.
Brinker and A. Lutz, Chinese Cloisonné: The Pierre Uldry Collection,
十八世紀 掐絲琺瑯桃形香爐 Zurich, 1989, no. 293; another related box and cover, shaped as a
pomegranate, is illustrated ibid., no. 292.

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