Guan‑Style Celadon Censer with Double Dragon‑Form Handles,Southern Song Dynasty,12th‑13th Century

拍品描述

Dimensions:Mouth diameter 14 cm (5.51 in),Height 11 cm (4.33 in),Southern Song Dynasty,12th‑13th CenturyCondition & Provenance:The censer is fully intact without chips, cracks or restorations.The whole vessel is covered with dense natural crackled glaze network formed over centuries.The glaze shows warm beige‑grey tone with subtle brownish tint around rim and edge areas.The pair of dragon‑shaped handles are well‑preserved with smooth surface,maintaining original casting contour.The circular foot base displays typical reddish‑brown coloration on the exposed rim,no modern grinding or artificial aging.No reglazing,glue repair or chemical enhancement.This Guan‑style censer comes from an old private Asian art collection based in Seattle,Washington,USA.The collector focused on high‑grade Song‑dynasty imperial‑style ceramics.This piece was obtained in 2003 from a respected New York antique gallery specializing in Chinese ancient porcelain.It was stored in constant‑temperature dark cabinet and rarely displayed.Now it enters public market due to family estate settlement.Description:This elegant double‑handle censer is a fine representative of Southern Song Guan‑style ceramic craft.It features flared rim,short neck decorated with two subtle raised bow‑string lines,rounded full belly,short circular foot ring and a pair of symmetric dragon‑shaped outward‑curving handles on both sides.Both interior and exterior are entirely coated with thick,lustrous beige‑grey celadon glaze.The prominent natural crackled craze covers the entire surface,which is the iconic aesthetic characteristic of Guan ware.The glaze gathers slightly along the rim and handle edges,producing deeper brown‑toned color effect.The unglazed foot‑ring rim presents typical reddish‑brown biscuit quality of official‑style wares.Song‑dynasty censers of this form were widely used for incense burning in scholar‑official households for ritual and daily appreciation.Dragon‑shaped handles add solemn decorative feeling to the vessel.Producing such thick‑glazed heavily‑crackled official‑style porcelain demanded extremely strict kiln‑atmosphere and temperature control.Well‑preserved complete examples are much cherished among Song ceramic collectors.This censer has well‑balanced proportion,smooth rounded body,authentic craze texture and restrained classical charm.It perfectly interprets the understated elegant aesthetic of Southern Song literati porcelain.

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