Yingqing Glazed Stem Censer With Incised Interlocking Floral Motifs, Song‑Yuan Dynasty

拍品描述

Dimensions: 10.8 cm (4.25 inches) in diameter, 10.5 cm (4.13 inches) in height. A 10th-14th century celadon-glazed incense burner unearthed from the Hutian Kiln in Jingdezhen during the Song-Yuan period. Condition and Provenance: The piece is structurally intact, without cracks or major damage. The rim is an ancient modification. The body and high-legged base are original pieces. The glaze is well-preserved, with clear engravings. The stepped base is decorated with delicate chrysanthemum patterns. The unglazed base retains the natural patina and minor kiln sand spots from its excavation. The clay body is naturally weathered, without modern restoration or repainting, maintaining its original state. This piece was acquired in 2022 by a private collector in Chicago, Illinois, specializing in ancient Chinese ceramics. Hong Kong is a major global trading center for Song and pre-Song ceramics. Description: This museum-quality long-handled incense burner is a celadon-glazed incense burner, made in the Hutian Kiln in Jingdezhen during the Song-Yuan period, used for incense offerings in ancestral halls and Buddhist shrines. Complete long-handled incense burners from this period are extremely rare on the antique market. This incense burner has a wide, flared mouth and a rounded, bowl-shaped body supported by two layers of high legs. Both the upper and lower layers of legs are decorated with radiating, raised chrysanthemum patterns, with sharp angles. The base is a wide, flared pedestal, ensuring stability. The overall shape is elegant and dignified. The outer wall of the main bowl is decorated with finely engraved lines, featuring intertwined floral patterns. The flowing, winding lines and spiraling branches are hidden beneath a translucent pale blue glaze, showcasing the classic "incised" decorative technique of Yingqing porcelain. Both the interior and exterior are covered with a soft, translucent Yingqing glaze, a pale blue-white color with abundant tiny bubbles, a typical glaze color of Song Dynasty Jingdezhen porcelain. There was some glaze loss on the rim of the bowl, which was reinforced with metal in ancient times, a practice dating back to the early period. The bowl has a hollow bottom with a drainage hole in the center. The exposed foot reveals grayish-white clay covered with traces of buried soil and fine kiln sand, perfectly preserving its original appearance as when unearthed, without excessive polishing or chemical cleaning. Song and Yuan dynasty Yingqing high-footed incense burners were widely used in Buddhist incense ceremonies. The high foot design allows the burning bowl to rise above the table, facilitating smoke circulation and easy display. This artifact is exquisitely carved, proportionally balanced, and retains all its original funerary features. It provides invaluable material reference for the study of Jingdezhen Hutian kiln manufacturing techniques, medieval Chinese incense-offering customs, and the Yingqing hidden-carving decorative tradition, possessing extremely high academic research, exhibition, and collection value.

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