A ‘YUTANG QINGWAN’ GOLD-SPLASHED BRONZE BOMBÉ... Lot n° 442

China. The gold-splashed decoration on this censer is especially rich, suggesting that it was made with no cost spared and for the table of a high-ranking official or an important scholar-literati. The base with a four-character yutang qingwan seal mark (Pure pleasure of the Jade Hall). Provenance: British private collection. Condition: Excellent condition with only minor wear and surface scratches, some casting irregularities, few small nicks and dents to edges, the inside with expected residues. The exterior naturally patinated to variegated tones of golden brown. Weight: 1,274 g Dimensions: Height 7 cm, Width 18.7 cm (handle to handle) The compressed globular body rising from a splayed foot, flanked by two loop handles. Literature comparison: The mark, yutang qingwan, is found on three censers illustrated in Jin Yu Qing Yan: Yang Ping Zhen Xian Sheng Zhen Cang Ming Qing Tong Lu (Golden Jade and Green Smoke: Mr. Yang Ping Zhen's Collection of Ming and Qing Bronze Censers), National Museum of History, 1996, pp. 222-23, nos. 151 and 152, and p. 278, no. 234. Compare also with a small globular censer with gold-splashed decoration sold at Christie's London, 19th December 1980, lot 165. Auction result comparison: Compare a related tripod censer, with the same mark, at Christie’s New York in Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art on 17 March 2017, lot 1040, sold for USD 30,000, and another of li ding form with a similarly rich gold-splash decoration, but with an apocryphal Xuande mark, at Sotheby’s Hong Kong in Water, Pine and Stone Retreat Collection, Scholarly Art II on 4 April 2012, lot 188, sold for HKD 740,000. 十七世紀“玉堂清玩”款灑金雙耳銅香爐 中國。香爐上的灑金特別豐富，富貴而莊重，適合高級官員或文人使用。底足有“玉堂清玩”印。 來源：英國私人收藏 品相：狀況極佳，僅有少量磨損和表面划痕，有一些鑄造不規則現象，少量小缺口和邊緣凹痕，內部帶有預期的殘留物。 外觀自然地呈現出金黃色的包漿。 重量: 1,274 克 尺寸：高7 厘米, 寬18.7 厘米 (耳至耳) 爐身線條流暢柔美，雙耳出頸曲折下收於腹部，渾厚有力。 拍賣結果比較：一件相似同落款香爐，售于紐約佳士得Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art 拍場2017年3月17 日，lot 1040, 售價USD 30,000；一件相近灑金宣德款香爐，售于香港蘇富比Water, Pine and Stone Retreat Collection, Scholarly Art II 拍場2012年4月4 日，lot 188, 售價HKD 740,000.