A blue and white hexagonal box and cover, Mark and period of Wanli. Estimate 350,000 — 450,000 HKD. Photo Sotheby's.
of hexagonal section, the straight sides supported on an integral base with a pierced apron, the exterior painted in inky tones of cobalt with six panels under a band of lingzhi, each enclosing a trigram and a crane among clouds, set with a pair of mythical beast-head handles, the fitted cover similarly decorated and surmounted by a finial in the form of a seated qilin, the underside of the box inscribed in underglaze blue with a six-character reign mark within double rectangles - 22.2 cm., 8 3/4 in.
Note: Another similar Wanli reign-marked incense burner is preserved in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, illustrated in Masterworks of Chinese Porcelain in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1969, no. 36. Compare also another related incense burner, sold Christie's Hong Kong, 30th November 2011, lot 2984.
Sotheby's. Chinese Art. Hong Kong, 01 Jun 2015, 03:15 PM