Den rundade kroppen reser sig från tre kraftiga ben, dekor i emaljfärger mot en blå grund av fortlöpande lotusslinga. S- formade uppåtställda hänklar, genombrutet lock, krönt av en draklockknopp. Höjd 23 cm. Bredd 15,5 cm.
En lagad hänkel, emaljbortfall.
Property of a Danish Collector.
Compare with one with the same lotus pattern but dated as Qianlong in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum, New York. redit line: Bequest of Stephen Whitney Phoenix, 1881. Object Number: 81.1.638a–c.
The painted enamel incense burner is of the type of impressive Imperial-tribute ware made in Guangzhou/Guandong for the Qing Court. Such an incense burner would most likely have been the central element in a five-piece garniture, which would have included a pair of candlesticks and a pair of gu vases. For two complete garnitures, mid Qing dynasty, from the Qing Court Collection, see the Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum: Enamels 5, Painted Enamels in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), Beijing, 2011, nos.176 and 264. Compare also the similar openwork design on the cover of a painted enamel brazier and a pair of painted enamel incense holders, both mid Qing dynasty, in the Qing Court Collection, illustrated ibid., nos.254 and 255.
The incense burner is of 'ding' form, based on the shape of archaic bronze ritual vessels of the Shang dynasty, and as such reflects the Qianlong emperor's fascination with antiquity and his call for craftsmen to take inspiration from forms and designs of antiquity.