A FINE PARCEL-GILT BRONZE INCENSE POWDER BOX AND COVER, MING DYNASTY
Lot 61 - FAS1025

China, 16^th-17^th century. Heavily cast, supported on a short, straight foot and rising to gently rounded shoulders with a circular mouth and a thick-lipped rim, fitted with a slightly domed cover. The exterior richly decorated in high relief with an array of auspicious motifs taken from the babao, anbaxian, and bajixiang, all richly gilt and set against an exquisitely punched ground of interlacing diaper patterns. The rims, foot, and interior mouth gilt.

Provenance: Ben Janssens Oriental Art, London, 2017. A copy of the original invoice from Ben Janssens, dated 15 March 2017, confirming the dating above, and stating a purchase price for the present lot of EUR 19,000 or approx. EUR 23,000 (adjusted for inflation at the time of writing), accompanies this lot. Ben Janssens opened his eponymous gallery in 1996 in London, specializing in early Chinese art. Previously he had been a director at Spink & Son. He also served as the Chairman of the Executive Committee of TEFAF Maastricht. A private collection in Switzerland, acquired from the above.
Condition: Very good condition with minor wear, traces of use, casting irregularities, expected rubbing and minor losses to gilt, few minuscule nicks. The bronze with a fine, naturally grown, mellow patina. The gilt is well-preserved.

Weight: 410 g
Dimensions: Diameter 7.4 cm

The items depicted include a fan, a flower basket and a fish drum, the attributes of Han Zhongli, Lan Caihe, and Zhang Guolao respectively, who are among the Eight Daoist Immortals. There is also a conch and a parasol, two of the Buddhist auspicious symbols; some of the Eight Treasures including a wish-granting pearl, a stone chime, a pair of rhinoceros horns, a coin, an ingot, and a wish-granting scepter; and scholar's items such as an archaic ding, scrolls, and an inkstone. The box has a prominent incurving inner rim on the inside of the lower section, and this is also gilded on its exterior.

As can be deducted from the unusual design of the extended inner mouth on the lower section, this box has been used as a container for incense powders, the incurving rim keeping the incense from blowing away when the cover is removed. The combination of various Daoist and Buddhist auspicious items and scholar’s objects was popular during the Ming and Qing dynasties, and is known as the ‘Hundred Antiques’ (baigutu) motif.

The number eight (ba) has been since ancient times an auspicious number in traditional Chinese culture, as evidenced, for example, by the Eight Trigrams (bagua), which were said to be the origin of all things. In addition to the Eight Trigrams, there are three groupings of eight that appear repeatedly in Chinese art. These are the attributes of the Eight Immortals, (anbaxian), the Eight Buddhist Emblems (bajixiang), and the Eight Treasures (babao), elements of which are depicted in the present lot. For a more in-depth understanding of traditional auspicious symbols in China, see Patricia B. Welch, Chinese Art: A Guide to Motifs and Visual Imagery, 2008, pp. 228-229.

Literature comparison:
Compare a closely related parcel-gilt bronze box and cover with a Zhu Chenming mark, dated late 16th-early 17th century, 9 cm diameter, in the Victoria and Albert Museum, accession number 2727-1856, illustrated by Rose Kerr, Later Chinese Bronzes, 1990, p. 54, no. 42. Compare a closely related parcel-gilt copper alloy incense box and cover with a Hu Wenming mark, dated to the 17th century, 7.3 cm diameter, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, object number 2015.500.6.23a–c.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Bonhams London, 17 May 2018, lot 210
Price: GBP 27,500 or approx. EUR 46,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A parcel-gilt bronze incense box and cover, 17th century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related form, exquisite casting work and gilt decoration. Note the similar size (8.3 cm).

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Bonhams Paris, 26 October 2023, lot 201
Price: EUR 28,160 or approx. EUR 29,000 adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A rare parcel-gilt bronze box and cover, Ming dynasty, 17th century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related form, exquisite casting work and gilt decoration. Note the similar size (7.2 cm).