Posted By: Bill H
Posted Date: Jan 16, 2009 (08:03 PM)
Charles, this bronze or brass censer has on its base a four-character mark of "Xuan De Nian Zhi" (Made during the Xuande Reign) in zhuanshu seal-carving script. Chinese metal-casting arts bloomed during the Ming Dynasty's Xuande Reign (1426-35), a fact honored by subsequent generations of metalsmiths with apocryphal versions of the mark. The surface of your censer seems to lack the patina I've come to associate with antique Chinese bronzes, so I suspect the piece dates to the Republic Period (1912-25) or later. I include a photo of a Qing Dynasty Qianlong Era (1736-95) mark and period censer for comparison. The diameter is about the same as yours. Best regards, Bill H
- Charles Cassety - Jan 19, 2009 (12:00 PM)