A rare Chinese gilt-splashed bronze tripod censer

拍品描述

A rare Chinese gilt-splashed bronze tripod censer, 17th century, fan zhan lu, heavily cast with deep sides gently rising from a flat base to a flared wide rim, set with two lion-head handles cast in high relief, supported on three short feet, the base with an apocryphal six-character Xuande mark within a recessed panel, the bronze of a dark brown patina with irregular gilt splashes, 21.8cm diameter x 13.2cm high, weight 4089 grams, with carved silver inlaid wood coverProvenance:Daniel Beale (1759-1842) and his brother Thomas were Scottish Merchants active in Bombay, Canton and Macau, dealing in Indian cotton, sandalwood, tin, pepper, and Chinese tea. In 1797 they were described as the most prominent of the trading houses on the Chinese coast. Daniel Beale and his brother Thomas were Scottish Merchants active in Bombay, Canton and Macau, dealing in Indian cotton, sandalwood, tin, pepper, and Chinese tea. In 1797 they were described as the most prominent of the trading houses on the Chinese coast. Beale died in England in 1842. In the gallery of St Pancras New Church, London, there is a memorial to Thomas Beale of Fitzroy Square and of Millfield House Edmonton, Middlesex. formerly of Canton and Macao, 'a most zealous promoter of the building of this Church and one of the original trustees.'He was immortalised by the artist Jacques-Laurent Agasse in his painting Daniel Beale at his Farm at Edmonton with his Favourite Horse. Censers of this type with everted rims were cast in imitation of Daoist vessels and were gifted to Daoist temples by the Xuande Emperor in the 15th century. The present censer is impressive for its tremendous weight and extraordinarily lavish gilding, suggesting that it was possibly made on commission by the court. Compare with another gilt-splashed bronze censer, of different form but with similar irregular gilt-splashed surface, sold at Sotheby's New York, 21st September 2022, Lot 338.明末清初 銅灑金獅耳法盞爐「大明宣德年制」款 克重4089克拍品來源：蘇格蘭商人Daniel Beale (1759-1842) 於十九世紀在中國所購，後為家族傳承。Daniel和他的兄弟Thomas在乾嘉年間曾在廣州、澳門和孟買口岸經營棉花、檀香、錫、胡椒和中國茶葉。1797年，他們的公司被稱為中國沿海最著名的貿易公司。此爐口侈，平唇，立沿，斜腹而下。平底，附三象足，兩側配以獅耳，外底心鑄六字楷書款。按《宣德彝器圖譜》所載，法盞爐有「雁翎法盞爐」、「懸珠法盞爐」、「連珠法盞爐」三式，形制仿自元朝法盞款式，乃宣德皇帝御賜天下道觀之用。又因造形特別，多為後世沿用，成為風格別具的文房清供。此爐身壯碩厚重，扣之聲銳悠揚，包漿古樸亮麗，爐身灑金如火，另配嵌銀絲流雲百蝠紋木蓋。

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