A rare cloisonné enamel incense burner, gui

15th/16th century

15th/16th century
The compressed globular body rising from a short spreading foot to a short waisted neck with everted gilt-bronze rim, set at the shoulder with a pair of C-shaped dragon-head handles, brightly decorated with large lotus blooms wreathed in scrolling foliage issuing curling leaves above a band of lotus lappets and C-scrolls around the foot. 14.5cm (5 3/4in) wide.

十五/十六世紀 銅胎掐絲琺瑯纏枝蓮紋龍耳爐

The dragon handles resemble the design on bronze and cloisonné vessels of the late Yuan to early Ming dynasty. Compare a closely related cloisonné incense burner in the Qing Court Collection, early Ming dynasty, with a pair of similarly executed dragon handles, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Metal-bodied Enamel Ware, Hong Kong, 2002, no.12. Another similar example, dated to the first half of the 15th century, is in the Victoria and Albert Museum, illustrated by H.Garner, Chinese and Japanese Cloisonne Enamels, London, 1962, pl.14.

See three related cloisonné enamel incense burners, Xuande period, also with similar dragon handles in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Zhongguo jinyin boli falangqi quanji: 5: falangqi vol.1, Hebei, 2001, nos. 52-54.

A related cloisonné enamel incense burner, ding, 16th century, was sold at Sotheby's London, 15 May 2019, lot 119, and another of gui form, 15th-16th century, was sold at Christie's London, 3 November 2020, lot 78.

此式爐之龍吞魚雙耳，多在元明銅器及掐絲琺瑯器上有所見，如清宮舊藏一件明早期掐絲琺瑯纏枝蓮紋龍耳爐，龍耳掐絲工藝與本拍品類似，見《故宮博物院藏文物珍品大系：金屬胎琺瑯器》，香港，2002年，編號12。參看三件北京故宮博物院藏明宣德掐絲琺瑯纏枝蓮紋雙耳爐，亦飾有雙獸吞魚耳，著錄於《中國金銀玻璃琺瑯器全集5：琺瑯器（一）河北，2001年，編號52-54。維多利亞及阿伯特博物館亦藏有一件類似的十五世紀前半葉龍耳爐，見Sir H. Garner著，《Chinese and Japanese Cloisonne Enamels》，倫敦，1962年，圖版14。

另見倫敦蘇富比曾售出一件十六世紀掐絲琺瑯龍耳爐，2019年5月15日，拍品編號119，以及倫敦佳士得售出十六世紀另一例，2020年11月3日，拍品編號78。