China, 1736-1795. The tapering rectangular censer has twin upright handles and is decorated to each side with massive raised flanges separating finely enameled taotie masks surrounded by and below a band of confronting kui dragons, all supported on four blade-shaped legs emerging from mythical-beast terminals. The reticulated gilt copper alloy cover is decorated with pierced foliage, enameled with angular scrolls, and surmounted by a gilt finial in the shape of a Buddhist lion. The cover is neatly incised with a horizontal six-character mark da Qing Qianlong nianzhi on a gilt plaque and of the period.

Provenance: Hong Kong trade. By repute acquired from an old private estate.
Condition: Magnificent condition with minor wear and manufacturing irregularities, including expected pitting and tiny casting holes. The censer wobbles very slightly. No restorations or fills of any kind visible under the examination of strong UV light. Note that such a general state of preservation on a censer from this period is extremely rare.

Weight: 8,338 g
Dimensions: Height 44.5 cm, Width 27.7 cm

With a custom fitted silk storage box. (2)

Expert’s note (added 20.2.2023): Compare the present lot with an example of near identical size at the Musee Guimet, Paris, France. (images courtesy of a fellow auctioneer from London, United Kingdom)

The shape of this censer is based on ancient bronze vessels. The finely gilt blade-shaped legs, loop handles and flanges, along with the wide spreading taotie masks, all have their prototypes in Zhou dynasty bronzes, many of which are illustrated in Xiqing Gujian, ‘Inspection of Antiques from the Zhou Dynasty’, the catalogs of ancient bronzes in the Qing Court Collection compiled under the authorization of the Qianlong Emperor in 1755. Censers of this type not only served as an important part of the palace furnishing, but were also used in rituals, banquets, and imperial ceremonies.

Literature comparison:
Several similar cloisonné fangding-form censers have been preserved in the Qing Court Collection, which are found in varying sizes with different combinations of decorative elements. Compare the fangding with cover with a cloisonné enamel Qianlong six-character mark, similarly decorated with taotie design but with flat dragon-form legs in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, illustrated in Enamel Ware in the Ming and Ch’ing Dynasties, Taipei, 1999, no. 59 (33.8 cm). Compare also three examples in the Palace Museum, Beijing, the first dated to the early Qing dynasty with a gilt openwork cover, lion-form finial and flat blade-shaped legs (35.6 cm), the second with a cast Qianlong six-character mark without a cover and decorated with angular chilong motifs (28.7 cm), the third with a cast Qianlong four-character mark and decorated with taotie design with blade-shaped feet (48.3 cm), illustrated in Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum, Enamels - 2 - Cloisonne in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), Beijing, 2011, nos. 68, 245 and 246, respectively. Compare also one with a lion-form finial and reticulated panels on the cover (38 cm) in the Shenyang Imperial Palace Museum, illustrated in The Prime Cultural Relics Collected by Shenyang Imperial Palace Museum - The Enamel Volume, Shenyang, 2007, pp. 146-147, no. 1.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s Hong Kong, 2 December 2015, lot 3250
Price: HKD 1,240,000 or approx. EUR 168,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A cloisonné enamel archaistic censer and cover, fangding, Qianlong period
Expert remark: Compare the closely related form and decoration as well as the similar size of 48.2 cm, the difference of 3.7 cm owed solely to the fact that the Buddhist lion on top of this censer has its body raised in an alert position, while it is shown in a rather huddled position on the present lot. Note also the absence of a reign mark.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s Hong Kong, 30 November 2020, lot 2911
Price: HKD 4,750,000 or approx. EUR 570,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A superb imperial cloisonnné enamel ‘taotie’ fangding-form censer and cover, and a champlevé stand, Qianlong period
Expert remark: Compare the closely related form and decoration as well as the similar size (46.5 cm excl. stand). Note the absence of a reign mark and the additional champlevé stand.



乾隆款及時期大型掐絲琺瑯饕餮紋出戟鼎式方蓋爐
中國，1736-1795年。銅胎，纏枝蓮紋鏤雕蓋，鎏金臥獅蓋鈕，拱門式立耳；立耳和口沿下飾回紋，一面口沿中央有“大清乾隆年製”，腹面中央及四角鑲稜脊，爐身饕餮紋；神獸形四足。

來源：香港古玩交易，據説購於一個老收藏。
品相：狀況極佳，有輕微磨損和製造不規則，比如微小的鑄孔。香爐有輕微搖晃。在強紫外線的檢查下，看不到任何類型的修復體或填充物。 請注意，這一時期的香爐上如此保存狀態極為罕見。

重量：8,338 克
尺寸：高 44.5 釐米，寬 27.7 釐米

配置絲襯方盒。 (2)

此爐仿青銅器造型，精美的鎏金刀狀腿、拱形耳朵、折邊，寬幅的饕餮紋，均出自周代青銅器，多見於1749年乾隆帝授意開始編撰的《西清古鑑》中關於周代古物的研究。此類香爐不僅是宮廷器物的重要組成部分，還用於祭祀、宴請和宮廷大典。

文獻比較：
幾件清廷收藏相似的鼎式方蓋爐，有不同的尺寸和不同的裝飾元素組合。比較一件銅胎掐絲琺瑯乾隆款鼎式方蓋爐，有著饕餮和龍紋，臺北故宮博物院， 見《Enamel Ware in the Ming and Ch’ing Dynasties》，臺北，1999年，編號59 (33.8 厘米)。比較三件清初例子在北京故宮博物院，第一件為清初所做，有獅形鈕、刀形足 (35.6 厘米)；第二件有乾隆六字款，沒有蓋，飾有有角螭龍紋 (28.7 厘米)；第三件乾隆四字款，飾有饕餮紋和刀形足(48.3 厘米)，見《故宮博物院館藏大系‧琺瑯器編‧清掐絲琺瑯》，北京，2011年，編號68，245和246。比較一件有獅形鈕和網狀紋(38 厘米)，收藏於瀋陽故宮，見《瀋陽故宮博物院院藏文物精粹‧琺瑯卷》，瀋陽，2007年，頁146-147，編號1。

拍賣結果比較：
形制：非常相近
拍賣：香港佳士得，2015年12月2日，lot 3250
價格：HKD 1,240,000（相當於今日EUR 168,000）
描述：清乾隆掐絲琺瑯饕餮紋方鼎
專家評論：比較非常相近的外形和裝飾，以及相似的尺寸48.2 厘米，相差3.7厘米，只因本爐上的太獅身軀挺直，呈戒備狀，而本拍品則呈蜷縮狀。請注意沒有款識。

拍賣結果比較：
形制：非常相近
拍賣：香港佳士得，2020年11月30日，lot 2911
價格：HKD 4,750,000（相當於今日EUR 570,000）
描述：清乾隆御製掐絲琺瑯饕餮紋方鼎式蓋爐及鏨胎琺瑯纏枝蓮紋座
專家評論：比較非常相近的外形和裝飾，以及相似的尺寸(46.5 厘米 不含底座)。請注意沒有款識，以及有額外的底座。

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