Lot 29 A Chinese blue and white hexagonal censer

A Chinese blue and white hexagonal censer

Wanli mark and of the period

未知

€ 20.000 – € 40.000

WH: H. 13,7 cm, W. 19,6 cm (Excl. covers) | WH: H. 16,5 cm, W. 19,6 cm (Incl. metal cover)

未知

The hexagonal censer, raised on six spear-shaped feet joined by straight stretchers forming the footrim, the openings between them shaped as accolade arches. Each corner of the foot is decorated with a ruyi-head amid clouds. The censer is applied on either side with a horned dragon-head handle. Each of the six facets is finely painted in rich and vibrant underglaze cobalt blue with a crane beneath a trigram borne on a lingzhi spray, all reserved within an accolade-shaped cartouche and framed at each corner by a ruyi-head amid clouds. The upper rim is encircled by a continuous band of scrolling lingzhi, while the interior is left undecorated apart from a double line near the rim. The recessed base, between the feet, bears a six-character Wanli mark within a double-lined rectangular frame.
The censer is accompanied by a finely pierced Japanese metal cover in the form of blossoming prunus branches, as well as a black-lacquered Japanese wooden cover, allowing the vessel to be used as a container when desired. Both covers are of Japanese manufacture.
爐呈六方形，下承六隻矛尖形足，各足以直棖相連形成足座，足間鏤作如意雲頭形開窗。足座六角各飾雲中如意紋。爐身兩側貼塑帶角龍首耳。六面均以濃艷青花精繪靈芝托八卦紋，其下各立一鶴，置於如意雲頭形開光內，開光四角飾雲中如意紋。口沿環繪纏枝靈芝，內壁素白，僅近口處飾青花雙弦紋。六足之間的內凹底部，於青花雙線長方框內書 ‘大明萬曆年製’ 六字款。
此爐另配一件日本鏤空金屬蓋，以盛開梅枝為鈕飾，並附一件日本黑漆木蓋，覆上後亦可將器物作貯存容器使用。兩件蓋均為日本製。
Reference:
For a near-identical example, see Sotheby's London, 4 October 2009, lot 76. (sold GBP 34.850) (link)
Another near-identical example is in the Museum of East Asian Art, Bath, record no. BATEA : 913. (link)
Literature:
For a similar example, see Laurence C.S. Tam, 'Anthology of Chinese Ceramics', 1980, pl. 87.
Provenance:
S. Marchant & Son, London, with their label to the base.
The Mr. and Mrs. Baert-Devos collection, Belgium. Acquired from the above in 2004. (see added scans)
Exhibited & published:
S. Marchant & Son, London included in their October 2004 exhibition of 'Ming Blue and White: Jiajing - Chongzhen. Including Dated Examples' and published in the accompanying catalogue, pp. 34-35, no. 23.