AN EXTREMELY RARE SILVER-INLAID ‘FUDING DING’ BRONZE TRIPOD CENSER, SONG TO MING DYNASTY
China, 960-1644. Of archaic ding form, the bowl cast with shallow rounded sides supported on three tall bird-shaped legs, the rim set with two upright loop handles. Finely inlaid in remarkably thin silver wire to the body with bands of scroll, raised bosses and geometric designs against leiwen grounds, stiff pendent leaves enclosing key-fret and S-scrolls, and to the legs with further scroll designs. The bronze with a fine, naturally grown patina with scattered malachite encrustations.


Provenance
: From the collection of Dr. Wou Kiuan. Wou Lien-Pai Museum, coll. no. T.5.6. Dr. Wou Kiuan (1910-1997) was a Chinese diplomat and noted scholar of Chinese art. His father, Wou Lien-Pai (1873-1944), was one the leading political figures of early 20th century China, remembered for his role as speaker and leader of parliament during the turbulent years of the Republican era. Dr. Wou himself embarked on an illustrious career in diplomacy until his retirement in 1952, when he settled in London and devoted the rest of his life to the study of Chinese art. In 1968, he opened the doors to the Wou Lien-Pai Museum, named in honor of his father. Over the years the museum became a ‘must see’ destination for collectors, academics, and visiting dignitaries, and Dr. Wou would delight in leading his visitors through the galleries, recounting stories of China’s glorious history.

Condition
: Good condition with expected old wear, some corrosion and casting irregularities, few minuscule nicks, light scratches, small dents, and few losses to inlays.

Weight: 298.4 g
Dimensions: Height 10.3 cm


Literature comparison:

This finely cast bronze vessel is after late Shang and early Western Zhou period archaic ding. Compare a Western Zhou bronze censer of this form, dated 11th-10th century BC, preserved in the National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, accession number S1987.20. The hemispherical body, handles and flattened legs of this censer relate to several bronze tripod censers of Shang dynasty date, illustrated by Robert W. Bagley in Shang Ritual Bronzes in the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, Arthur M. Sackler Foundation, 1987, pp. 448-51, figs. 80.2-80.4, no. 81 and fig. 81.1. For further examples, see one in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Bronzes in the Palace Museum, Beijing, 1999, pl. 86, standing on related bird-form feet; and the late Shang dynasty bronze fangding, its legs cast as birds standing on their long tails, illustrated in Ancient Chinese Bronzes from the Stoclet and Wessén Collections, Eskenazi London, 1975, cat. nos. 2.


Auction result comparison:

Type: Related
Auction: Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 3 April 2012, lot 155
Price: HKD 275,000 or approx.
EUR 42,500
converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: An archaistic bronze censer, Ming dynasty
Expert remark: Compare the closely related form. Note the complete lack of inlay decoration.




宋至明錯銀三足銅爐

中國，960-1644年。古鼎式，淺圓邊，鳥形足，雙耳直立。精細的錯銀線，雷紋，芭蕉葉與雲紋。銅爐有細膩的自然包漿，綠色結殼。


來源：
吳權博士收藏；吳蓮伯美術館，館藏編號T.5.6。吳權(1910-1997)博士 曾是一位中國外交家以及知名中國藝術收藏家。他的父親吳蓮伯 (1873-1944)先生曾是二十世紀初中國重要政治人物，因在民國動蕩歲月中擔任國會議員及議長而聞名。1952 年，吳博士在外交領域走上了輝煌之路，直到他退休後定居倫敦，並將餘生奉獻給了對中國藝術的研究。毫無疑問，吳權博士多年的收藏，與大量中國藝術珍品現身倫敦藝術市場上時間點相呼應，這無疑是幸運的。從 1950 年代中期到 1960 年代後期，他收集了 1,000 多件藏品，涵蓋了中國藝術的每一個門類。吳博士之所以收藏，其原因主要是爲保護散落歐洲各地的中國文物與推廣中國藝術與文化。尚不清楚吳博士何時想到創建一個美術館來歸置他的收藏的，但在 1968 年，他打開了以他父親的名字命名的 吳蓮伯美術館的大門。多年來，美術館已成為收藏家、學者和來訪政要的必經之地，而吳博士總是很樂意給參觀者介紹美術館，講述中國光輝歷史的故事。

品相：
狀況良好，有磨損、一些腐蝕和鑄造不規則、微小刻痕與劃痕、小凹痕以及少量鑲嵌缺損。

重量：298.4 克
尺寸：高 10.3 厘米


文獻比較：


此鑄造精良的青銅爐是仿商末和西周初期的鼎。比較一件外形一樣的西元十一至十世紀西周銅爐，收藏於史密森學會國立亞洲藝術博物館，館藏編號S1987.20。此爐的半球形爐身、把手、扁足與多件商代青銅三足爐有關，見Robert W. Bagley，《Shang Ritual Bronzes in the Arthur M. Sackler Collections》，Arthur M. Sackler基金會，1987年，頁448-51，圖80.2-80.4，編號81和81.1。另一件鳥形足爐，見北京故宮博物院《Bronzes in the Palace Museum》，1999年，圖86。另一件商末青銅方鼎，足為長尾鳥形，見 《Ancient Chinese Bronzes from the Stoclet and Wessén Collections》，Eskenazi 倫敦，1975年，編號2。


拍賣結果比較：

形制：相近
拍賣：香港蘇富比，2012年4月3日，lot 155
價格：HKD 275,000（相當於今日
EUR 42,500
）
描述：明青銅仿古「鳥紋」出戟雙耳三足爐
專家評論：比較非常相近外形。請注意此爐沒有鑲嵌裝飾