A LARGE FAMILLE ROSE 'BAJIXIANG' TRIPOD INCENSE BURNER

A LARGE PORCELAIN FAMILLE ROSE 'BAJIXIANG' TRIPOD INCENSE BURNER
China, late Qing Dynasty (1644-1912) to Republic Period (1912-1949). Apocryphal Jiaqing seal mark in a horizontal line in iron red. The globular body with pierced upright curved handles on each side and three stoutly rounded cabriole legs. The censer is sturdily potted and enameled on the body with the Eight Buddhist Emblems, Bajixiang, amidst lotus flowers and tendrils extending onto the legs, all reserved against a lime-green ground. Pink bats are flanking the handles, the waisted neck is encircled by floral scroll below a key-fret band on the galleried rim. With matching base and cover both beautifully carved from dark wood, the lid is flanked with a whitish jade handle with dark streaks.

This incense burner is likely to have been part of a five-piece altar garniture set, known as the 'Five Offerings' (wugong 五供), which were widely used in Buddhist rituals to seek protection from the deities. In shape and decoration, the vessels included in these sets, which also comprised a pair of candlesticks and wine containers, recall those employed to perform ancestral sacrifices during the Shang and Zhou periods. Restoring the ancient Chinese ways through the reinterpretation of archaic forms was viewed by the Qing rulers as one way to reinstate the importance of performing filial acts, the core value of Confucian thought that legitimized the emperors' right to rule.

Condition: Very good condition with some minor, age-related wear, some minor flakes and glaze chips.
Provenance: American private collection.

Weight: 11.9 kg (including the base and the cover)
Dimensions: Height 37.5 cm (without the case and cover), 56.5 cm (with the base and cover)

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