A FINE GOLD-SPLASHED BRONZE INCENSE BURNER, GUI

Xuande six-character mark, 17th century

Xuande six-character mark, 17th century
Finely cast on a short foot, with a raised band of crisp overlapping lotus petals to the rounded lower body, rising to the straight sides set with a pair of mythical-beast head handles, below a key-fret border around the rim, decorated around the exterior and base with thick irregular gold splashes against the chocolate-bronze tone of the vessel. 13.2cm (5 1/4in) wide across the handles.

十七世紀 灑金銅簋式爐
「大明宣德年製」楷書款

Provenance:
Spink & Son Ltd., London
Mrs G. N. Parry (1923-2013), London, acquired from the above on 14 December 1960, and thence by descent

來源：
倫敦古董商Spink & Son Ltd.
倫敦G. N. Parry夫人（1923-2013）舊藏，於1960年12月14日購自上者，並由後人保存迄今

The form of the present lot is very rare amongst gold-splashed bronze wares. However, see a near identical form of a silver-inlaid bronze incense burner, 17th/18th century, which was sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 2 December 2015, lot 67. Compare also with a related gold-splashed bronze censer, 17th/18th century, Xuande mark, which was sold at Sotheby's London, 6 November 2013, lot 214. See also a related gold-splashed bronze incense burner, gui, Xuande mark, Qing dynasty, which was sold at Bonhams London, 13 May 2021, lot 74.

The 'gold-splash' decoration was achieved by 'fire-gilding', a technique involving the application of gold in the form of a mercury/gold amalgam. Subsequently the vessel was heated to drive off the mercury, so that the small amount of gold was left adhering to the base metal. The process could then be repeated several times to build up thicker layers of gold.

直壁，獸耳，矮圈足。器腹下沿環以蓮瓣紋，口沿飾一週回紋，通體灑金。本例器型於灑金銅器中頗為少見，香港蘇富比曾於2015年12月2日售出一例十七/十八世紀銅錯銀蝙蝠祥雲紋瑞獅耳爐，同署「大明宣德年製」仿款，拍品編號67，是為數不多的可比對者。亦有倫敦蘇富比於2013年11月6日售出一例十七/十八世紀宣德款灑金銅銜環舖首耳簋式爐，拍品編號214；以及倫敦邦瀚斯與2021年5月13日售出一件清銅灑金簋式爐，拍品編號74，可資比對。

灑金飾以所謂「火鍍金」工藝形成，即以金溶於水銀之中，形成金泥，塗於銅或銀表面加溫，使水銀蒸發令金飾附於器表，再重複該過程形成更厚的金飾層。