China. Finely cast standing foursquare, the squat body well detailed with scales to the front, scrolling fur tufts to the sides wrapped around the slender legs terminating in clawed feet issuing neatly incised flames, and a short tail. The separately cast, hinged cover rendered in the form of the beast’s one-horned head with bulging eyes, scrolling mane, and funnel-shaped ears, the mouth wide open revealing tongue and sharp fangs.

Provenance: French trade.
Condition: Very good condition with minor wear, few small nicks, few scratches, and casting flaws. The hinge original and remarkably well preserved, thus functioning properly. Naturally grown, rich and very dark patina with malachite-green hues.

Weight: 1.9 kg
Dimensions: Height 26.5 cm

The throne of the Emperor of China in the Hall of Supreme Harmony in the Forbidden City in Beijing has two incense burners shaped as luduan, the legendary auspicious creatures who can travel 18,000 li (9,000 km) in a single day and speak all world languages. A legend says that a luduan once appeared to Genghis Khan and convinced him to abandon his efforts to conquer India.

Luduan are mythical creatures with strong lion bodies, a single horn and the paws of a bear. They are believed to have the ability to foretell the future, give life to the good, and kill the evil. According to legend, they were originally known as ‘jiaoduan’, and their name changed to ‘luduan’ because the character for ‘lu’ matched their appearance better. Known as guardians of enlightened rulers, luduan were said to appear in areas where a wise and virtuous leader was present.

The auspicious nature of luduan was particularly appropriate for the purpose of these censers. Cast with hinged or removable heads, they were made for burning incense and smoke would emerge from the beast’s mouth, animating and empowering the sculpture. As Chuimei Ho and Bennet Bronson note in their discussion of a pair of Qianlong cloisonné enamel examples from the Palace Museum, Beijing, included in the exhibition ‘Splendors of China's Forbidden City, The Glorious Reign of Emperor Qianlong’ by The Field Museum, Chicago, 2004, these burners were traditionally valued at the Imperial court, as with their open mouths and smoke billowing forth, they were a reminder to the Emperor that he should always be receptive to honest advice (see page 37).

The origin of incense burners of this form is difficult to determine. An example attributed to the Song dynasty was recovered from the Ming dynasty tomb of the scholar-official Zhang Shupei (1552-1615) in Tonglian, Sichuan (Wenwu, 1989, no. 7, pp 45-46, figs 14-16). Mythical beast incense burners, however, became a popular model only from the Xuande period onwards. A censer in the form of a mythological animal was included in the painting ‘Enjoying Antiquities’ by Du Jin (ca. 1467-1505), where two scholars are depicted scrutinizing a selection of antiquities (illustrated in Through the Prism of the Past, Antiquarian Trends in Chinese Art of the 16th to 18th Century, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 2003, catalog no. I-44). A drawing of a similar beast is also published in the Shizu zhai jian pu (Ten Bamboo Studio Catalogue of Letter Paper Designs), a woodblock printed book of stationery papers from 1645, compiled by Hu Zhengyan and illustrated in Ip Yee and Laurence C.S. Tam, Chinese Bamboo Carving, volume 1, Hong Kong, 1978, page 179, figure 15. Its popularity continued well into the Kangxi reign, when censers of this form were made in a variety of media, including porcelain, cloisonné enamel, and bronze.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s Hong Kong, 4 April 2017, lot 60
Price: HKD 350,000 or approx. EUR 46,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A rare bronze Luduan-form censer, Yuan-Ming dynasty (1279-1644)
Expert remark: Compare the related closely related form and manner of casting, the head also separately cast and attached with a hinge. Note the inscription, earlier dating, and the size (35.2 cm).

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s Hong Kong, 3 June 2015, lot 2870
Price: HKD 275,000 or approx. EUR 38,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A bronze Luduan-form censer and cover, Late Ming dynasty, 17th century
Expert remark: Compare the related closely related form and manner of casting, the head also separately cast albeit lacking the hinge. Note the size (23 cm).