A BRONZE CENSER AND COVER, BOSHANLU

WESTERN HAN DYNASTY, 1ST CENTURY BC

Details

A BRONZE CENSER AND COVER, BOSHANLU
WESTERN HAN DYNASTY, 1ST CENTURY BC
The censer with hemispherical bowl raised on a stem foot, the conical cover cast in openwork as a cloud-enshrouded hill surmounted by a bird standing with wings and tail spread, with mottled grey and milky-green patina
11 1/8 in. (28.3 cm.) high, box

Provenance

Acquired in Tokyo, December 1983.

Exhibited

Ancient Chinese and Ordos Bronzes, Hong Kong Museum of Art, 1990, no. 45.
The Glorious Traditions of Chinese Bronzes, Singapore, 2000, no. 91.
Metal, Wood, Water, Fire and Earth, Hong Kong Museum of Art, 2002-2006.

If you wish to view the condition report of this lot, please sign in to your account.

View condition report

Lot Essay

Hill censers of this type appeared during the Han period, perhaps reflecting the interest during the period in mystical mountains as the abode of the spirits. Several hill censers of different types excavated in different provinces were included in the exhibition, Treasures from the Han, Empress Place Museum, Singapore, 1990-1991; a pottery example raised on a stem within a dish, unearthed in 1953, Luoyang, Henan province, and a bronze example supported by a bird standing on a tortoise set within a dish, unearthed in 1966, Changan county, Shaanxi province, both p. 65; and the exquisite gold-decorated bronze censer of Prince Liu Sheng, Zhongshan, Mancheng county, Hebei province, p. 112.

More from The Sze Yuan Tang Archaic Bronzes from the Anthony Hardy Collection

View All