A HU WENMING SILVER-WIRE-INLAID AND PARCEL-GILT BRONZE INCENSE BURNER, GUI, LATE MING DYNASTY

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A HU WENMING SILVER-WIRE-INLAID AND PARCEL-GILT BRONZE INCENSE BURNER, GUI, LATE MING DYNASTY Expert’s note The current censer displays remarkable workmanship combining several complex decorative techniques, including inlay of silver wires, chasing of the wavy ground and hammering of gilt decorations on the main band. The engraved seal mark, Yunjian Hu Wenming zhi, may be translated, ‘made by Hu Wenming of Yunjian (modern Songjiang, near Shanghai)’. Hu Wenming was a celebrated metalworker who was active during the late 16th to early 17th century. The same mark can be found on a closely related censer with similar decoration in the main band and with similar handles, in the Palace Museum Collection and listed as a ‘national first-grade cultural relic’, illustrated in Illustrated Important Chinese Cultural Relics Ranking Standard - Bronze, Beijing, 2006, pl. 143. China, late 16th-early 17th century. Finely cast, of bombé form, with a compressed body raised on a tall, slightly flared foot and surmounted by a broad, gently waisted neck with an everted rim, set with two loop handles issuing from animal masks. Richly chased in relief and gilded against a minutely incised hexagonal-patterned ground, the body is decorated with a central band enclosing mythical sea creatures including winged dragons and horses rising from waves. The foot is encircled by a band of confronted sinuous phoenixes centered by butterflies, while the neck is adorned with a silver wire-inlaid band of key-fret design. The base is chiseled with the six-character Hu Wenming mark within a vertical rectangular gilt reserve. Inscriptions: To the base, Yunjian Hu Wenming zhi [made by Hu Wenming of Yunjian]. Dimensions: Width 18.1 cm (across handles) Hu Wenming (active c. 1573-1620) is one of the most renowned metalworkers in Chinese history and one of the few whose name and style are discussed in Chinese art-historical writing. Originally from Yunjian (present-day Songjiang near Shanghai), he became one of the most accomplished craftsmen of the late Ming dynasty. Most of the works attributed to Hu Wenming are scholarly objects, such as incense burners and brush pots, characterized by densely worked backgrounds covered with naturalistic and other motifs cast in high relief. His works frequently reinterpret archaic bronze forms with refined late-Ming ornamentation, such as ring-punched grounds, scrolling foliage, mythical beasts, and wave patterns. His work was highly regarded by the educated elite in the Jiangnan region (lower Yangzi delta). Many surviving pieces, like the present lot, bear his six-character seal-script mark ‘Yunjian Hu Wenming zhi’, indicating workshop pride. His works are held in major museum collections and frequently cited as benchmarks of Ming dynasty metalwork. Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Christie’s Hong Kong, 27 November 2017, lot 8117 Price: HKD 562,500 or approx. EUR 73,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Expert remark: Compare the closely related form, manner of casting, decoration, gilding, motifs, and mark. Note the size (26.7 cm). Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Bonhams London, 15 May 2014, lot 289 Price: GBP 25,000 or approx. EUR 42,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Expert remark: Compare the closely related form, manner of casting, decoration, gilding, and mark. Note the size (15.3 cm) and different central band.

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