Page 210 - Bonhams Asian Art London November 5, 2020

‘Illustrations of
Ritual Vessels at the
Confucius Temple’
(孔廟禮器圖) from the
Illustrated Explanations
of Renovating Various
Buildings in Taiwan
Prefecture (重修臺郡
各建築圖說).

Inscriptions

THE PROPERTY OF AN ENGLISH FAMILY 英國家族藏品 The side of the exterior is inscribed:

207 TP 乾隆四十一年 台灣府知府蔣元樞捐造 貢生蔣得皋監製

A MASSIVE DOCUMENTARY ARCHAISTIC RITUAL BRONZE Which may be translated as:
INCENSE BURNER, FANGDING
Qianlong, dated by inscription to the 41st year of the reign Qianlong ‘The forty-first year of Qianlong reign, donated by the Prefect of
corresponding to 1776 and of the period Taiwan, Jiang Yuanshu, manufacture supervised by Tribute Student,
Of rectangular form, cast on each side with a taotie mask in low Jiang Degao’
relief, with stylised body and claw motifs on the sides, against the
thunder patterns, centred with flanges, below a narrow register The present lot would have belonged to a group of bronze ritual vessels
of low relief chilong scroll, the four vertical faces with pronounced commissioned and donated by Jiang Yuanshu. These bronze vessels
square flanges terminating in points at the corners, under the lipped are depicted in the ‘Illustrations of Ritual Vessels at the Confucius
rim surmounted by a pair of loop handles, all supported on four tall Temple’ (孔廟禮器圖) from the Illustrated Explanations of Renovating
dragon legs, wood cover. Various Buildings in Taiwan Prefecture (重修臺郡各建築圖說).
66cm (26in) high (2).
Jiang Yuanshu 蔣元樞 (1738-1781), style name Zhongsheng (仲升),
£40,000 - 60,000 sobriquet Xiangyan (香巖), was a native of Changshu in Jiangsu.
CNY350,000 - 530,000 He served as the Prefect of Taiwan from the fortieth to the forty-third
year of the Qianlong reign (1775–1778). According to the Illustrated
清乾隆四十一年 青銅大方鼎 Explanations of Renovating Various Buildings in Taiwan Prefecture
by Jiang Yuanshu, he noted in 1776 that ‘all the vessels used at
Provenance: White Allom & Co. London (label) the Confucian Temples in Taiwan Prefecture are made of lead-tin
Harold Hyam Wingate (1901-1979), acquired in the 1950s, and thence bronze, which is of humble quality’. Therefore, he ‘carefully consulted
by descent Confucian regulations and selected artisans in Suzhou to establish a
workshop, purchased bronze, created a foundry, cast ritual vessels
來源：倫敦古董商White Allom & Co（標籤） and musical instruments, and had them all shipped to Taiwan’.
Harold Hyam Wingate (1901-1979) 舊藏，二十世紀五十年代入藏，
並由後人保存迄今 See three other identical bronze ritual incense burners with the same
inscription existing in Taiwan, two in the Tainan Confucius Temple and
another in the Tainan Grand Matsu Temple.

For details of the charges payable in addition to the final Hammer Price of each Lot
208 | BONHAMS please refer to paragraphs 7 & 8 of the Notice to Bidders at the back of the catalogue.