A RARE LONGQUAN CELADON ‘LUDUAN’ CENSER AND COVER, LATE MING DYNASTY

China, 16^th – 17^th century. Finely modeled as a mythical beast standing foursquare, the separately cast head features an open mouth revealing sharp fangs, with bulging eyes beneath bushy brows. Rows of studs adorn the head, while the body tapers into a curled, openwork tail. The pale celadon glaze covers the figure entirely, except for the underside of the feet, where the exposed ware has burnt to a warm orange hue during firing. (2)

Provenance: French Trade. Acquired from a house near Bordeaux, France.
Condition: Good condition, commensurate with age, showing ancient wear and expected firing flaws, such as pitting, brown spots and irregular glaze pooling. The head (lid) with some old restoration. The undersides of all four feet burnt to orange in the kiln.

Weight: 1 kg
Dimensions: Height 18 cm

The throne of the Emperor of China in the Hall of Supreme Harmony has two incense burners shaped as Luduans, the legendary auspicious creature. A legend says that a Luduan once appeared to Genghis Khan and convinced him to abandon his efforts to conquer India.

Luduan are mythical and auspicious creatures with strong lion bodies, a single horn (sometimes replaced by rows of studs as in the present lot) and the paws of a bear. They are believed to have the ability to traverse vast distances and to master all languages, as well as foretelling the future, giving life to the good and killing evil. According to legend, they were originally known as ‘jiaoduan’, and their name changed to ‘luduan’ because the character for ‘lu’ matched their appearance better. Known as guardians of enlightened rulers, luduan were said to appear in areas where a wise and virtuous leader was present.

The auspicious nature of luduan was particularly appropriate for the purpose of these censers. Always cast with hinged or removable heads, they were made for burning incense and smoke would emerge from the beast’s mouth, animating and empowering the sculpture. As Chuimei Ho and Bennet Bronson note in their discussion of a pair of Qianlong cloisonné enamel examples from the Palace Museum, Beijing, included in the exhibition ‘Splendors of China's Forbidden City, The Glorious Reign of Emperor Qianlong’ by The Field Museum, Chicago, 2004, these burners were traditionally valued at the Imperial Court, as with their open mouths and smoke billowing forth, they were a reminder to the emperor that he should always be receptive to honest advice (see page 37).

The origin of incense burners of this form is difficult to determine; an example attributed to the Song dynasty was recovered from the Ming dynasty tomb of the scholar-official Zhang Shupei (1552-1615) in Tonglian, Sichuan (Wenwu, 1989, no. 7, pp 45-46, figs 14-16). Mythical beast incense burners, however, became a popular model only from the Xuande period onwards. A censer in the form of a mythological animal was included in the painting ‘Enjoying Antiquities’ by Du Jin (ca. 1467-1505), where two scholars are depicted scrutinizing a selection of antiquities (illustrated in Through the Prism of the Past, Antiquarian Trends in Chinese Art of the 16th to 18th Century, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 2003, catalog no. I-44). A drawing of a similar beast is also published in the Shizu zhai jian pu (Ten Bamboo Studio Catalogue of Letter Paper Designs), a woodblock printed book of stationery papers from 1645, compiled by Hu Zhengyan and illustrated in Ip Yee and Laurence C.S. Tam, Chinese Bamboo Carving, volume 1, Hong Kong, 1978, page 179, figure 15. Its popularity continued well into the Kangxi reign, when censers of this form were made in a variety of media, including porcelain, cloisonné enamel and bronze.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s Hong Kong, 28 May 2014, lot 3413
Price: HKD 187,500 or approx. EUR 28,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A rare longquan celadon 'luduan' censer and cover, Ming dynasty, 16th century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling and glaze. Note the similar size (15 cm).

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Rob Michiels, Bruges, 22 February 2023, lot 945
Price: EUR 5,200 or approx. EUR 5,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A Chinese gilt bronze-mounted Longquan celadon censer in the shape of a luduan, Ming
Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling, glaze, and size (17.5 cm). Note the bronze mounts and the numerous condition issues.