A RARE GILT-BRONZE ‘BUDDHIST-LION’ CENSER
A RARE GILT-BRONZE ‘BUDDHIST-LION’ CENSER

FIVE DYNASTIES (907-960)

Details
A RARE GILT-BRONZE ‘BUDDHIST-LION’ CENSER
FIVE DYNASTIES (907-960)
The censer is modelled in the shape of a recumbent Buddhist-lion, with jaw agape snarling to expose teeth, feathery tail pointing upwards, supporting a two-tiered lotus vessel and beaded openwork stem on its back.
4 1/2 in. (11.5 cm.) high., box
Provenance
Acquired in Hong Kong, 1998
Formerly in the Liaolouju Collection, acquired in 2002

Lot Essay

Tiered lotus petals are often seen on censers from the same period, such as a Tang-Five Dynasties Qiong kiln yellow and green glazed censer with three-tiered lotus petals from the Qiong Kiln Museum, illustrated by Geng Baochang in Qiongyao gutaoci yanjiu, Beijing, 2000, p.261. Compare also a Five Dynasties Yaozhou lotus-shaped censer excavated from Tongchuan, Shannxi, which has additional lions applied to the base, illustrated in Songdai Yaozhou Yaozhi, Beijing, 1998, col.pl. 10. Most of the lotus petals from this period are thick with ridged mid-sections, like the petals on the current censer.

More from Inspiring the mind - Life of a scholar-official

View All
View All