£1,260
Fine Asian & Islamic Works of Art ft. Scholar's Aesthetics: Dr Kenneth P. Lawley's Collection | 751
Auction: 3 November 2023 at 09:00 GMT
東漢 綠釉博山爐
of bowl form, the tall stem supported on a circular tray, the cover carved in the form of a stylized mountain range with pointed, overlapping petals, further with incised details, surmounted with an owl finial, glazed on the exterior with a deep green tone
Provenance: Ben Janssens Oriental Art, 9 November 2021, with an original invoice.
Dr. Kenneth P. Lawley's inventory number: Cer.181.
Note: Ben Janssens observes that it is extremely unusual to find an owl finial on a Han dynasty pottery stemmed incense burner. The owl features in Chinese art well before the Shang dynasty, when it becomes quite a common, mysterious motif on bronzes of the period, but it is rarely seen as decoration on pottery. The present piece was intended for use as an incense burner, and at some point inside this piece was placed a removable metal liner. A closely comparable model of a boshanlu, with a finial in the form of a recumbent bird, is in the Meiyintang Collection, see Krahl, R. Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, Volume One, Azimuth Editions, London, 1994, no. 79, p. 66.
Please note this lot will be offered with no reserve. 本拍品不設底價