A BRONZE 'CHILONG' CENSER, MING DYNASTY China, 16th-17th century. Of oval form with gently flaring sides raised on four ruyi-shaped feet, and cast with two chilong clambering along the flattened, everted rim to form handles. The base is cast with an apocryphal six-character Xuande mark. Provenance: English private collection. Roger Keverne, acquired from the above in September 2012. Roger Keverne served as the Chairman of Asian Art in London and as the President of BADA. He began his 50-year career with Spink & Son, rising to head the Asian department by the age of only 28. He left Spink in 1992 to start his own gallery together with Miranda Clarke, his wife and business partner, in Mayfair, London, which eventually closed its doors in June 2020. Published: Roger Keverne, Fine and Rare Chinese Works of Art and Ceramics - Winter Exhibition, London, 2013, no. 2. According to the pricelist from this exhibition, the present lot was offered for GBP 8,750 at the time (which corresponds to GBP 10,260 in today's currency after inflation). Condition: Good condition with old wear, some traces of use, encrustations to the inside, several casting flaws, some of which may have developed into fissures with associated losses near one handle. Certain areas of patina re-polished. Light scratches and few minuscule nicks. Weight: 611.2 g Dimensions: Width 18 cm (across handles) Literature comparison: A similar vessel is illustrated in scroll 6 of the imperial Guwan Tu ('Pictures of Ancient Playthings') dated to 1728, in the collection of Sir Percival David currently on loan to the British Museum, museum number PDF,X.01. A similar low-sided vessel with chilong handles, dated to the 16th-17th century, is illustrated by P. Moss, The Second Bronze Age, Hong Kong, 1991, no. 43. Auction result comparison: Compare a closely related censer, also dated 16th-17th century and of near-identical form, but of slightly larger size (21.6 cm wide), at Christie's New York in Marchant: Nine Decades in Chinese Art on 14 September 2014, lot 719, sold for USD 7,500. 明代螭龍紋雙耳爐 中國，十六至十七世紀。香爐呈橢圓形，如意形四足，兩隻螭龍為耳，沿上邊沿攀爬。 底座鑄有偽“大明宣德年製“六字款。 來源：英國私人收藏；Roger Keverne 2012年9月購於上述收藏。Roger Keverne 曾擔任倫敦亞洲藝術協會主席和 BADA 總裁。 他在 Spink & Son 開始了他 50 年的職業生涯，年僅 28 歲就成為亞洲部門的負責人。他於 1992 年離開 Spink，與他的妻子和商業夥伴 Miranda Clarke 在倫敦Mayfair成立了自己的藝廊 ，最終於 2020 年 6 月關閉。 出版：Roger Keverne, Fine and Rare Chinese Works of Art and Ceramics - Winter Exhibition, London, 2013, no. 2. 根據此次展覽的價格單，該拍品那時曾被出價GBP 8,750 (相當於現今 GBP 10,260)。 品相：狀況良好，舊時磨損，使用痕跡，內部有結殼，有幾個鑄造缺陷，其中一些可能已經發展成裂縫，一耳附近出現相關缺損。 某些區域的包漿曾經被重新拋光，輕微的劃痕和一些微小的刻痕。 重量：611.2 克 尺寸：寬 18 厘米 (雙耳之間) 拍賣結果比較：一件十六至十七世紀相似形狀的香爐 (寬21.6 厘米) ，見紐約佳士得Marchant: Nine Decades in Chinese Art 2014年9月14日 lot 719, 售價USD 7,500。