Incense Burner - A Practical Guide to Collecting Utilitarian Artifacts

Author: Ding Meng / Country:
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-07-01
Features: The price reference of the gold-dusted double-ear tripod bronze incense burner is ￥150,000, and the imitation price reference is ￥12,000. Size unknown. This furnace has a sturdy, thick shape, exquisite materials, and meticulous smelting. The color is warm and crystal-clear, and even in dim light, it appears as if it has a pearl-like luster. In the mid-Ming Dynasty, Islamic culture was widely introduced to China, leading Emperor Zhengde to adopt Islam. As a result, handicrafts such as bronze, porcelain, cloisonné, and many other items often featured Islamic calligraphy (Arabic script) during that time. By the late Ming Dynasty, this trend was continued on Xuan De bronze furnaces, using both regular script and seal script. During the Jiajing, Wanli, and Tianqi reigns of the Ming Dynasty, many imitations of Xuan De bronze furnaces appeared in various regions, such as Gan Wenxuan of Jinling, Xu Shousu of Wu, and Zhou Wenpu, among others. Identification Points: 1. Wide mouth, upright double ears extending from the rim, narrowed neck, bulging abdomen, short legs. 2. The abdomen is decorated with Arabic script, cast within Islamic-style wide-rimmed openwork. 3. The surface is dark purple, covered with gold flakes, resembling gold dust on paper. 4. The base is inscribed with "Xuan De." P34