清 銅甪端香薰

拍品描述

英文品名：A QING BRONZE INCENSE BURNER IN THE FORM OF A LU DUAN 尺寸：H:43cm 銅鑄。甪端作蹲坐式，獨角挺立，雙耳上卷，獸目圓睜，張口露齒，口部鏤空出煙。軀體健碩，周身刻鱗片、火焰與羽翼紋，下承四爪足。蓋與身以頸部為分界。皮色古樸，為清代神獸形香薰。甪端，傳說中神異之獸，《史記·司馬相如列傳》張揖注謂角端似豬，角在鼻上；《說文》以為祥瑞之獸，能日行萬八千里，通四夷之語，聖人在位、明達公道則奉書而至。故宮中大典、御座兩旁常設甪端香薰，寓意明君在朝、四方賓服。焚香時煙自獸口噴出，繚繞御座，象徵智慧周遍。清代甪端多獨角、卷眉、周身鱗甲，與麒麟、天祿近似而角單一。 A bronze incense burner in the form of a luduan, shown crouching with a single upright horn, curled ears and wide glaring eyes. The mouth is open to emit smoke. The body is powerfully built, incised with scales, flame and wing patterns, supported by four clawed feet. The cover is formed by the head and neck. The patina is antique. The luduan is a mythic beast. In Zhang Yi's commentary to Sima Xiangru's Han rhapsodies it is described as boar-like with a horn on the nose; the Shuowen dictionary classes it as an auspicious creature that travels eighteen thousand li a day and understands the languages of all border peoples, appearing bearing books only when a sage ruler reigns with justice. Hence at court ceremonies luduan censers flanked the imperial throne, symbolising an enlightened sovereign to whom all quarters submit. Incense burned inside issued from the beast's open mouth, wreathing the throne in wisdom. Qing luduan are usually single-horned, with curled brows and scaled bodies, distinguished from qilin and tianlu by the single horn.

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