A rare Imperial-tribute painted-enamel incense burner and cover, ding


Qianlong red-enamelled four-character mark and of the periodThe globular vessel raised on three bulbous feet, colourfully enamelled with a meandering foliate lotus scroll reserved against a pale blue ground, rising to the domed shoulders decorated with lotus petal panels and cylindrical neck with bats alternating with lotus blossoms, below the wide rim with a composite floral scroll, flanked by a pair of similarly enamelled S-shaped handles set with openwork gilt-copper cash-motif tubes, surmounted by an elaborate domed cover decorated with a meandering foliate lotus scroll in openwork, between a geometric border around the rim and ruyi-head, floral and rope-twist bands below the reticulated gilt-copper globular finial decorated with a coiled five-clawed dragon pursuing the flaming pearl amidst cloud-scrolls, wood stand. 39.1cm (15 3/8in) (3).
|清乾隆 銅胎畫琺瑯纏枝蓮紋雙耳三足蓋爐紅彩「乾隆年製」楷書款Provenance:A French private collection來源：法國私人收藏The present painted-enamel incense burner is an impressive example of imperial-tribute ware made in Guangzhou for the Qing Court. Such an incense burner would have been the centre piece in a five-piece garniture, which would have included a pair of candlesticks and a pair of gu vases. For two complete garnitures, mid-Qing dynasty, from the Qing Court Collection, see the Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum: Enamels 5, Painted Enamels in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), Beijing, 2011, nos.176 and 264. Compare also the similar openwork design on the cover of a painted enamel brazier and a pair of painted enamel incense holders, both mid-Qing dynasty, from the Qing Court Collection, illustrated ibid., nos.254 and 255.The incense burner is of ding form, based on the shape of archaic bronze ritual vessels of the Shang dynasty, and as such reflects the Qianlong emperor's fascination with antiquity and his call for craftsman to take inspiration from forms and designs of antiquity.銅胎，蓋鏤空雕纏枝番蓮紋，以琺瑯繪之，銅鎏金捉手球形，鏤空雕蟠龍穿雲趕珠，爐方唇折沿，折緣琺瑯繪藍地五彩連枝番蓮紋，上下鎏金線，直頸，繪石青底五彩番蓮蝙蝠紋，肩部隆起，繪蓮瓣紋，和頂部組成須彌座式樣，蓮瓣紋之下兩側鑄朝冠耳一對，以鏤空銅錢式組件與爐口沿相連以為固，爐身圓鼓，下承三象腿足，皆繪以藍地五彩纏枝番蓮紋。此爐體量巨大，紋樣豐富，或為廣州進貢北京的五供之一，即二觚二臺一鼎之鼎，類似的例子可參考清宮舊藏兩套清中期之銅胎畫琺瑯五供，見《故宮博物院藏品大系琺瑯器篇5》，北京，2011年，編號176及264。本品爐蓋之鏤空法可參考清宮舊藏另外兩件清中期畫琺瑯鏤空花卉紋香筒之鏤空紋樣，見前書，編號254及255。