晚明宣德款銅爐|Incense Burner

Unknown

16th century · Bronze with treated surface · Asian Art

Connoisseurs particularly admired the lustrous surface and sublime patina of legendary bronze incense burners of the Xuande era (1426–35). Numerous incense burners bear Xuande marks, which do not necessarily indicate their actual production date but rather serve as an homage to a past glory. Decorated with a smooth red and gold patina, this censer would have been handled by literati in their studios and cherished as a fashionable pastime.

Artist

Unknown

Date

16th century

Medium

Bronze with treated surface

Culture

China

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

H. O. Havemeyer Collection, Bequest of Mrs. H. O. Havemeyer, 1929