Censer in the form of a mythical beast
This robust incense burner demonstrates high-end porcelain sculpture and epitomizes the antiquarian interest of the late Ming dynasty (1368-1644) for creatively reviving the form and styles of ancient Chinese bronzes. Based on a Han dynasty (206 BC to AD 220) prototype, this Ming dynasty example was identified as a luduan, an auspicious unicorn able to master foreign languages that would only appear when a virtuous ruler came to the throne. This representation of the creature is not simply a copy of an ancient prototype; rather its playfully animated form and décor mark it as a brilliant antiquarian creation. This design also played as a model for contemporary and later artworks in other mediums, such as bronze and cloisonné.
Artwork Details
- 晚明 景德鎮窯青花獸爐
- Title: Censer in the form of a mythical beast
- Period: Ming dynasty (1368–1644)
- Date: early 17th century
- Culture: China
- Medium: Porcelain painted in underglaze blue (Jingdezhen ware)
- Dimensions: H. 13 in. (33 cm); W. 7 in. (17.8 cm); D. 9 3/4 in. (24.8 cm)
- Classification: Ceramics
- Credit Line: Purchase, Bequests of William Rhinelander Stewart and Matilda E. Frelinghuysen, Gift of R. Thornton Wilson, in memory of Florence Ellsworth Wilson, Purchase by subscription, and Gift of Edgar Worch, by exchange, 2018
- Object Number: 2018.154a, b
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art
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China
1713–22
China
17th century
China
late 17th century
China
late 17th–early 18th century
China
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