China, 1368-1644. The censer with a compressed globular body raised on three legs issuing from the mouths of horned mythical beasts and a pair of pierced s-shaped handles that flank the neck and flat, everted rim. The neck is finely incised with a circumferential leiwen pattern.
Condition: Fair condition with minor wear, casting flaws, a ding to the body, the feet with recesses revealing slag from the casting procedure. Verdigris on the interior and the underside. Minimal losses, some nicks to edges. A piercing to the base has been closed with a metal plate. The handles are detachable and fixed with small modern wood pegs. Provenance: English private collection.
Weight: 5.4 kg Dimensions: Diameter 30 cm handle to handle
The base is incised with a Chinese inscription which is partly illegible.
Auction result comparison: Compare with a related censer sold at Sotheby’s New York in Important Chinese Art on 12 September 2018, lot 300, for USD $25,000 incl. buyer’s premium.