A rare cloisonné enamel 'taotie' tripod censer and cover

Qing dynasty, Qianlong period

清乾隆 銅胎掐絲琺瑯仿古紋鳳耳三足大蓋爐

the turquoise-ground globular body narrowing at the shoulder to an upright neck and galleried rim, the widest part of the body set with an elaborate pair of gilt-bronze phoenix-form handles, all supported on three gilt-bronze cabriole legs attached to the body by makara heads, each leg with two vertical cloisonné panels of polychrome lotus scroll against a turquoise ground, the densely patterned body dominated by large pendent lappets enclosing royal-blue taotie masks suspended at the sides, gilt keyfret and polychrome lotus scrolls meandering between the lappets, all below a band of taotie masks at the shoulder, lotus scrolls at the neck, and gilt keyfret in relief at the rim, the domed cover with scrolling lotus interspersed with ruyi-form cartouches and surmounted by a large openwork gilt-bronze finial in the form of dragons amidst clouds (2)

Height 19 ? in., 48.9 cm

Gump's, San Francisco, 1980s.

來源

Gump's，舊金山，1980年代