CHINE, DYNASTIE QING, XVIIÈME-XVIIIÈME SIÈCLE

This large censer is modeled on Shang–Zhou bronze gui, exhibiting the archaic solidity and dignified proportions characteristic of antiquarian-inspired ritual bronzes. The body is lavishly gilded, the shimmering gold leaf set against the dark bronze ground, creating a sumptuous and visually striking effect. The inscription “Xuande second year” is an apocryphal Xuande mark, invoking the celebrated Ming Xuande censers to signify superior quality. The name “Zhou Yi” refers to a documented master caster, further reinforcing the work’s claim to traditional authenticity. Most notable is the designation “Xiuhuang zhuren” (Master Xiuhuang), the title of the patron. The term “Xiuhuang”, literally “cultivated bamboo”, connotes the moral virtues of a refined scholar-gentleman, clearly indicating that the censer was a commission by a literati patron of cultivated taste. In this way, the vessel transcends its utilitarian function, becoming an object embodying the owner’s social status, intellectual refinement, and aesthetic discernment.
For comparison, see a closely related gui censer of similar dimensions, sold at Christie’s New York, 17 March 2017, lot 1041. Another gold-splashed bronze gui censer, bearing the same Xuande mark and made for the Islamic market, is recorded in the Parry Collection, sold by Bonhams, London, 2 November 2021, lot 48.