Exhibited: Galerie Zacke, Ming Bronzen, 1987, no. 82.

China, 17^th century. Of rectangular section, the sides tapering towards the base, supported on four short feet incised with taotie masks, the sides decorated with dragons amid crashing waves in high relief, flanked by two dragon-mask handles. The interior molded with six coins and inscriptions to the walls. The pierced cover with a dragon and scrolling cloud design, centered by a dragon-head finial. The base with a dragon roundel enclosing a two-character mark.

Inscriptions: To the base, ‘Nei yong’.

Provenance: The Plesch Collection, no. Bh 19e (label to base). Galerie Zacke, Vienna, 8 April 1987, sold for ATS 24,000 or approx. EUR 4,400 (converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing). An Austrian private collection, acquired from the above. Peter and Traudi Plesch were both refugees from Nazi persecution. Peter had left Germany with his father, who was the medical doctor of Albert Einstein, who once gently commented on the practical difficulties of young Peter's ingenious design for a perpetual motion machine. Peter Plesch had already formed a fine collection when he met Traudi. One influence had been his maternal great uncle, Fritz von Gans, who had left his antiquities collection to the Royal Prussian Museum, Berlin. However, on their honeymoon in Israel, Traudi fell for the lure of ancient Chinese glass which inspired a new joint adventure, the one criterion for a purchase being that she and Peter should both want the object, although not necessarily with the same passion. Thus, their collection was formed slowly and wisely over four decades, later expanding into jades and ancient bronzes, reflecting their desire to have beautiful, but also academically meaningful pieces.
Condition: Excellent condition commensurate with age showing some wear, few nicks, minuscule scratches, few dents, small losses, corrosion, and casting flaws. Fine, naturally grown patina overall, with distinct hues of malachite and cuprite.

Weight: 2,860 g
Dimensions: Length 20.6 cm, Height 14.7 cm

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Sotheby’s New York, 21 March 2018, lot 630
Price: USD 47,500 or approx. EUR 51,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A bronze 'chilong' censer and cover, 17th century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related form, dragon decoration, pierced cover, and dragon-mask handles. Note the slightly larger height (18.2 cm).



明末清初雲龍紋蓋爐
中國，十七世紀。長方形爐，上寬下窄，饕餮紋如意形四足；爐身側面高浮雕驚濤拍岸龍紋，另兩側飾有龍面紋輔首。顱内有六枚硬幣紋。鏤空蓋飾有龍紋和卷雲紋，龍首鈕。爐底一個龍紋。

展覽 ：Galerie Zacke藝廊，《明代青銅器》，1987年，圖82。

款識：内用

來源： Plesch收藏，編號Bh 19e (底部標籤)；維也納Galerie Zacke藝廊，1987年4月 8日，售價 ATS 24,000 或相當於 EUR 4,400 (根據通貨膨脹率)；奧地利私人收藏購於上述藝廊。Peter 與Traudi Plesch 兩人都是遭受納粹迫害的難民。Peter與他的父親一起離開了德國，他的父親是阿爾伯特·愛因斯坦的醫生，愛因斯坦曾經溫和地和年輕的Peter討論如何設計永動機的實際困難。Peter Plesch 在遇到 Traudi 時已經擁有了一個很好的收藏。他的外叔祖弗里茨·馮·甘斯 (Fritz von Gans) 曾給Peter極大的影響，他將自己的文物收藏留給了柏林皇家普魯士博物館。然而，在以色列度蜜月時，Traudi 被中國古代琉璃的魅力所吸引，因此激發了一次新收藏冒險。他們購買藏品的的一個標準是她和彼得必須都想要這件物品，但并不一定要有相同的熱情。因此，他們的藏品在四十年來被緩慢卻明智地構建著，後來擴展到玉器和古代青銅器，這反映了他們願意擁有美麗但同時也具有學術意義的藏品。
品相：狀況良好，有一些磨損、少許刻痕、小劃痕、凹痕、小缺損、腐蝕和鑄造缺陷。整體包漿細膩自然，有明顯紅綠色銅鏽。

重量：2,860 克
尺寸：長20.6 厘米，高 14.7 厘米

拍賣結果比較：
形制：非常相近
拍賣：紐約蘇富比，2018年3月21日，lot 630
價格：USD 47,500（相當於今日EUR 51,000）
描述：十七世紀銅雲龍紋四足長方熏爐《大明宣德年製》仿款
專家評論：比較非常相近的外形，龍紋，鏤空爐蓋，以及龍形輔首耳。請注意尺寸稍高 (18.2 厘米)。