A PARCEL-GILT BRONZE 'DRAGON' CENSER, GUI

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A PARCEL-GILT BRONZE 'DRAGON' CENSER, GUI
LATE MING DYNASTY, 17TH CENTURY

Of archaic gui form with a pair of dragon-head handles, finely cast in repoussé on each side of the compressed body with a pair of confronted dragons contesting a 'flaming pearl', striding amidst ruyi-clouds and above overlapping waves, bordered by a register of the Eight Daoist Emblems, bajixiang, on the short neck below the everted mouth rim, and a band of scrolling lingzhi at the splayed foot, the base incised and gilt with the marker's mark, Hu Wenming zhi, 'Made by Hu Wenming'
8 3/8 in. (21.3 cm.) across handles, box

Lot Essay

The artist Hu Wenming was a celebrated metalworker who was active during the late 16th to early 17th century. Compare with a group of metalwork examples all bearing the Hu Wenming mark, included in the exhibition Arts from the Scholar's Studio, Hong Kong, 1986, nos. 73, 103, 230, 231, 237, and 246.

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