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This striking bronze censer has a low
compressed body, slightly everted rim, loop
handles and a flat base. The underside of the
base has a countersunk rectangular cartouche
with a six-character reign mark reading ‘Da
Ming Xuande nian zhi’ (‘Made in the Xuande era
of the Great Ming’). The form of the censer is
one of the classic types produced during the
Xuande period (1426-1435) of the Ming
Dynasty. In 1428, according to the document
‘Xuande yi qi tu pu’ (‘Illustrated Catalogue of the
Ritual Vessels of the Xuande Period’), Emperor
Xuande instructed the Ministry of Works to cast a
large series of bronze vessels with copper sent as
tribute by the Kingdom of Siam (Thailand). They
were intended for use on the altars of the palace
and beyond. It was customary to display such
vessels in groups of five, a central censer,
flanked by pairs of vases and candlesticks.
Censers were also used in secular contexts,
displayed in the studies of the literati and used
to burn incense. Xuande apparently
commissioned c. 20,000 vessels of 117 different
types. The censers were one of the most popular
forms and were widely reproduced in the later
Ming and Qing eras. Known simply as ‘Xuande
censers’ many of these later pieces also bore the
Xuande mark. Original marks are distinguished
by characters that are complete and smooth, set
against a background that is the same colour
and luster as the vessel itself. This piece may
date to the later Ming period and is noteworthy
for its fine casting and finish.
The gold-splash decorative technique is striking
for its modern aesthetic. It was achieved by a
process known as fire-gilding, now banned
because of the poisonous fumes emitted during
the procedure. A gold and mercury amalgam was
applied to the surface and then the vessel was
heated to drive off the mercury leaving behind an
extremely thin film of gold. This process was
sometimes repeated to build up thicker layers. In
this case the splashes are charmingly irregular
and densely spaced, adding to the beauty of this
remarkable object.
References:
Rose Kerr, Later Chinese Bronzes, (London,
1990), esp. p. 39.
Philip K. Hu, Later Chinese Bronzes: The Saint
Louis Art Museum and Robert E. Kresko
Collection, (2008), esp. pp. 137-141.
- (FZ.388)
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