| 中文版 English

具体要求

其它要求

-
关闭
A RARE BRONZE LUDUAN-FORM CENSER AND COVER, YUAN-MING DYNASTY
奥地利
2024年10月18日 开拍
拍品描述
A RARE BRONZE LUDUAN-FORM CENSER AND COVER, YUAN-MING DYNASTY

China, 1279-1644. Finely cast standing foursquare, the chest of the hollow body with a long strip of scaling, the sides detailed with ribs and flaming tufts, flanking a short tail. The hinged cover rendered in the form of a single-horned head with bulging eyes, scrolling mane, and funnel-shaped ears, the mouth wide open revealing tongue and teeth.

Provenance: From a private collection in southern Germany, in the family since at least the 1990s.
Condition: Expected old wear and casting irregularities. The hinge original and remarkably well-preserved, thus functioning properly. Few minuscule nicks, small dents, traces of wear and use, light scratches. Some old repairs. Naturally grown, rich and dark patina overall.

Weight: 4,032 g
Dimensions: Height 30.5 cm

The throne of the Emperor of China in the Hall of Supreme Harmony in the Forbidden City in Beijing has two incense burners shaped as luduan, the legendary auspicious creatures who can travel 18,000 li (9,000 km) in a single day and speak all world languages. A legend says that a luduan once appeared to Genghis Khan and convinced him to abandon his efforts to conquer India.

Luduan are mythical creatures
with strong lion bodies, a single horn and the paws of a bear. They are believed to have the ability to foretell the future, give life to the good, and kill the evil. According to legend, they were originally known as ‘jiaoduan’, and their name changed to ‘luduan’ because the character for ‘lu’ matched their appearance better. Known as guardians of enlightened rulers, luduan were said to appear in areas where a wise and virtuous leader was present.

The auspicious nature of luduan
was particularly appropriate for the purpose of these censers. Cast with hinged or removable heads, they were made for burning incense and smoke would emerge from the beast’s mouth, animating and empowering the sculpture. As Chuimei Ho and Bennet Bronson note in their discussion of a pair of Qianlong cloisonné enamel examples from the Palace Museum, Beijing, included in the exhibition ‘Splendors of China's Forbidden City, The Glorious Reign of Emperor Qianlong’ by The Field Museum, Chicago, 2004, these burners were traditionally valued at the Imperial Court, as with their open mouths and smoke billowing forth, they were a reminder to the emperor that he should always be receptive to honest advice (see page 37).

The origin of incense burners of this form
is difficult to determine. An example attributed to the Song dynasty was recovered from the Ming dynasty tomb of the scholar-official Zhang Shupei (1552-1615) in Tonglian, Sichuan (Wenwu, 1989, no. 7, pp 45-46, figs 14-16). Mythical beast incense burners, however, became a popular model only from the Xuande period onwards. A censer in the form of a mythological animal was included in the painting ‘Enjoying Antiquities’ by Du Jin (ca. 1467-1505), where two scholars are depicted scrutinizing a selection of antiquities (illustrated in Through the Prism of the Past, Antiquarian Trends in Chinese Art of the 16th to 18th Century, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 2003, catalog no. I-44). A drawing of a similar beast is also published in the Shizu zhai jian pu (Ten Bamboo Studio Catalogue of Letter Paper Designs), a woodblock printed book of stationery papers from 1645, compiled by Hu Zhengyan and illustrated in Ip Yee and Laurence C.S. Tam, Chinese Bamboo Carving, volume 1, Hong Kong, 1978, page 179, figure 15. Its popularity continued well into the Kangxi reign, when censers of this form were made in a variety of media, including porcelain, cloisonné enamel, and bronze.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s Hong Kong, 4 April 2017, lot 60
Price: HKD 350,000 or approx. EUR 47,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A rare bronze Luduan-form censer, Yuan-Ming dynasty
Expert remark: Compare the closely related form, subject, and manner of casting, with the head also separately cast and attached with a hinge like the present lot. Note the similar size (35.2 cm).

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Galerie Zacke, Vienna, 9 March 2023, lot 148
Price: EUR 11,700 or approx. EUR 12,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A Luduan-form bronze censer, Ming dynasty
Expert remark: Compare the related closely related form and manner of casting, the head also separately cast albeit lacking the hinge. Note the closely related size (30 cm).

本场其它拍品

  • 竞价阶梯
  • 快递物流
  • 拍卖规则
  • 支付方式
竞价区间 加价幅度
0
10
50
50
600
100
1,600
200
4,000
500
8,000
1,000
16,000
2,000
40,000
5,000
80,000
10,000
160,000
20,000
+

价格信息

拍品估价:1,500 - 3,000 欧元 起拍价格:1,500 欧元  买家佣金:

拍卖公司

Galerie Zacke
地址: Sterngasse 13, 1010 Vienna, Austria
电话: 0043-1-5320452
邮编: 1070
向卖家提问