GREEN-GLAZED POTTERY INCENSE BURNER, BOSHANLU
EASTERN HAN DYNASTY
£1,260
Fine Asian & Islamic Works of Art
Auction: 3 November 2023 from 09:00 GMT
Description
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
Dimensions
22cm high
Provenance
Provenance: Ben Janssens Oriental Art, 9 November 2021, with an original invoice.
Dr. Kenneth P. Lawley's inventory number: Cer.181.
Footnote
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