A rare and large cloisonné enamel censer with lotus and the characters shou and wan, China, Ming dynasty, carved hardwood cover. Photo Nagel Auktionen
The heavily cased censer of circular section, enamelled around the sides on the exterior with a scrolling multi-coloured lotus band and the characters Shou and Wan under the mouthrim bound with gilt-metal, flanked by a pair of gilded makara handles, all supported on four evenly spaced stylised ruyi-heads with leaves, each extending to a three-clawed foot, the ruyi feet and handles possibly added in the 17th or 18th ct. - Very minor losses to enamel, fine break lines to undecorated base, one foot with two lost leaves, the cover with damages due to age. B. 46,5 cm. Estimate 30 000 - 50 000 €
Property from an old European private collection. A censer from the Yongle/Xuande period with similar mounts was sold by Christie's Hong Kong, 28.11.2006, Lot 1665
It is rare to find examples of Ming dynasty cloisonné wares of such massive size. The most well-known published example is the Xuande mark and period jar and cover illustrated by H. Brinker and A. Lutz, Chinese Cloisonne from the Pierre Uldry Collection, Zurich, 1989, pl. 5.
A similar censer with a Jingtai mark, raised on similar three-clawed feet, enamelled with figures in landscape, is in the Musée des Arts Decoratifs, Paris, and illustrated in Transactions of the Oriental Ceramic Society, vol. 30, London, 1958, no. 317.
The inspiration of the Indian lotus is probably a direct influence from ceramic production at the Imperial kilns at Jingdezhen where underglaze-blue floral patterns in formal bands of this type continued from the Yuan dynasty into the Ming, proving to be one of the most popular motifs in the 15th century.
Nagel Auktionen. Asian Art, 2013/05/10. http://www.auction.de