AN IRON-RED AND GILT-DECORATED TRIPOD CENSER, DAOGUANG MARK, CHINA, 1840-1940Expert’s note: Looking at the missing white space inside the leaves for example, this looks like a typical work from circa 1880-1920. However, some aspects of the décor are really fine, especially the fine gilt and the subtly degrading nuances of the iron red, so there is a remote chance that this is a bit earlier, possibly even late in the Daoguang period.The globular body with upright curling handles standing on three bulbous short legs, decorated in shades of iron-red enamel with leafy lotus and ribbon-tied Eight Buddhist Emblems in a continuous meander, between borders of linked ruyi-heads and key-fret scrolls. The underside with an unglazed ring encircling ruyi-heads centered by a blossom. The rim decorated with a band of bats in flight amid scrolling clouds below a band of key-fret and the horizontal iron-red six-character markda Qing Daoguang nianzhi. Note the finely gilt lines and details.Provenance: French trade. By repute from an old estate in the north of France.Condition: Excellent condition with minor old wear and traces of use, little rubbing to gilt and the iron-red. The cover lost.Weight: 1,818 gDimensions: Height 23.5 cmThis impressive iron-red enameled incense burner would have been the central part of a five-piece altar garniture, flanked by two candlesticks and two vases. It was most likely produced for a smaller temple or private altar.Auction resultparison:Type: Closely relatedAuction: London, 17 May 2012, lot 331Price: GBP 33,650 or approx.EUR 58,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writingDescription: A large iron-red globular tripod incense burner, Daoguang seal mark in a horizontal line and of the periodExpert remark:pare the closely related form, decorations, and Daoguang reign mark. Note the much larger size (42 cm) and that this is a confirmed mark and period piece.Auction resultparison:Type: RelatedAuction: London, 5 November 2012, lot 145Price: GBP 6,875 or approx.EUR 12,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writingDescription: An iron-red enameled tripod incense burner, Jiaqing six-character seal mark in a line below the rimExpert remark:pare the related form and decorations. Note the larger size (29.5 cm) and that while this censer has a Jiaqing mark, did not specify whether it is of the period or not, so this might well date from the second half of the 19th century or even the republican era too.1840-1940年道光款礬紅彩描金纏枝蓮紋三足爐描述：胎體厚重堅致，下設蹄形三足，肩置沖天耳，通體滿飾礬紅彩。爐闊口平沿，厚壁，外折凸厚唇，唇外沿飾迴紋一周，以紅彩書“大清道光年製”篆書款。直頸外壁裝飾纏枝蓮紋，肩部勾繪靈芝如意紋。腹部精繪纏枝蓮及寶傘、寶瓶、雙魚、盤長等佛家八寶紋。朝冠耳內外均繪纏枝蓮紋，側面勾繪迴紋。足面亦精繪纏枝蓮紋，足脛裝飾迴紋一周。整器紋飾佈局繁而不亂，設色嬌妍明艷。專家注釋：看葉子內部的空白，像是約 1880-1920 年的典型風格。細節精美，看描金和礬紅彩，所以這件作品年代可能更早，甚至可能是道光晚期。