173.
INCENSE BURNER
PORCELAIN DECORATED IN
FAMILLE ROSE
ENAMELS AND
GOLD
JINGDEZHEN KILNS, JIANGXI PROVINCE
QING DYNASTY, YONGZHENG PERIOD (1723–1735)
HEIGHT 25 CM; DIAMETER 25.2 CM
INV. NO. 277
Incense burner in two sections: the
hexagonal body and cover in the shape of a
hexagonal truncated pyramid. On the top,
acting as handles are two luxuriant
branches with leaves and two peaches on
the ends which are growing from an old,
twisted and gnarled trunk; the base and
cover separated by a thick hexagonal rim,
extending outwards and fitted with a
double ridge supporting the cover and
accentuating the shape of the piece. Heavily
and thickly potted with a bluish glaze,
decorated with openwork (
linglong
) and
painted in
famille rose
enamels.
The base rests on a heavy, imposing stand
with six feet, ornamented with raised frets,
painted alternately in dark pink, green and
blue on a pink honeycomb pattern, filled in
green with white flower heads and
ruyi
heads above the ridge of the feet. Although
fixed, the stand appears to be independent
since it is separated from the base of the
body by a deep, indented groove, filled with
a green border with black key frets. Each
aspect of the base has a rectangular panel
emphasized by an iron red dragon modelled
in relief, forming a round medallion reserved
on a white, semi-pierced
wan
(swastika)
pattern, contrasting with the greenish
glaze. The panels are framed alternately
with pale blue geometric six-pointed star
patterns and pale green and pink mosaic
patterns, with rosettes in the corners and
half flower heads halfway along the panel.
The facets of the cover repeat the
decoration of the base, but with the dragon
reserved on a pierced swastika ground. Each
face of the truncated pyramid is trapezoidal
and displays the
lu
(wealth) character
reserved on a pierced cash ground, framed
by patterns whose motif and colours are
similar to those on the facets of the base
and cover. In the centre of the flat area on
top of the cover, left white, is a round
medallion with pierced iron red
wan
under
the finial. The protuding platform is
decorated with small blue quatrefoil
reserves, outlined in pink, containing a pink
flower on a turquoise ground, and a tooth-
like pattern in blue on pink between the
two ribs of the outer edge.
These incense burners with robust bodies
contrasting with the lightness of the
openwork decoration are probably inspired
by the
ding
perfumers of the Zhou dynasty,
the first one probably having been made
under Emperor Fou-hi for sacrifices to the
heavenly and earthly spirits. 1
On the subject of openwork boxes and
hanging vases used for aromatic herbs to
scent the house, Hobson says that some of
them, with covered tops, were also used as
cricket and butterfly cages, although their
construction seems to contradict this
theory. 2
There is an incense burner almost identical
to this one, but smaller in size and
enamelled in a different palette, with semi-
pierced yellow
wan
with blue dragons in the
centre and the iron red
lu
character
reserved on a pierced blue cash pattern,
which belonged to the former Benjamin F.
Edwards III Collection. 3
The former Henry Hirsh Collection had a
similar box in two parts but in square
section, supported by four feet, with a mask
and a lion’s paw. It was decorated on each
side with an ogre mask in relief, painted in
famille verte
enamels and had a pierced
top. 4
Another square incense burner, decorated
with pierced bamboo on the upper part and
painted in
famille verte
enamels from the
Lord Kitchener Collection, 5 is now in the
Percival David Foundation in London.
Grandidier illustrates another example of a
square base and cover with a network of
geometric motifs. 6 This shape was repeated
many times, as can be seen by the
nineteenth-century incense burner that
belonged to the Portuguese Royal
Collections and is now in the private dining
room at Palácio de Belém, Lisbon, the
official residence of the Portuguese
President, its function being purely
decorative. 7
A round incense burner with a domed cover
and pierced
K’uei
dragons is in the National
Palace Museum, Taipei. 8
Published in:
Jorge Welsh, 2004, pp. 62-63, no. 12
1 Grandidier, 1894, pl. I, no. 1.
2 Hobson, 1924, p. 117.
3 Jorge Welsh, 2004, p. 62, no. 12.
4 Hobson, ibid., pl. LIII, fig. 3.
5 Pierson, 2001, p. 34, no. 29; Lady David, 1958, pl. XIII,
no. A812.
6 Grandidier, ibid.
7 Pinto de Matos, 2005, p. 584
8 National Palace Museum, 1977, pl. 8, no. 12.
368 .
QING DYNASTY PORCELAIN (1644-1911)