CHINE, DYNASTIE MING, XVIÈME SIÈCLE

The present tripod censer is covered with a turquoise-blue enamel ground and decorated in gilt-wire grapevine patterns, featuring twisting tendrils, curling leaves, and plump grapes rendered with fluid, natural lines. The enamel is rich and luminous, particularly the deep purple of the grapes and the vibrant green of the leaves, exemplifying the lush and sumptuous style characteristic of mid-Ming cloisonné.
The existing wooden cover and stand date to the Qing dynasty, with the cover surmounted by an exquisitely carved agate finial. This combination reflects the Qing court’s appreciation and reuse of earlier objects, while also testifying to the historical circulation and continued ceremonial or decorative use of such vessels. The grape motif conveys wishes for fertility and abundance, and the censer was likely intended either as a palace display piece or for ritual use.
A closely related tripod censer of very similar form and decoration is in the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum – 43: Metal-bodied Enamel Ware, Hong Kong, 2002, p. 16, pl. 14. Compare also a comparable example published by Brinker and Lutz, Chinese Cloisonné: The Pierre Uldry Collection, Asia Society Galleries, New York, 1989, no. 54.