A SMALL BRONZE ‘GOOSE’ CENSER AND COVER

17TH CENTURY

HEIGHT: 8.5CM

WEIGHT: 165G

Well-cast in the form of a goose standing on two webbed feet, its slender neck stretches upward to a small knopped head and its mouth opens widely to form an outlet for incense smoke. The hollowed bird is surmounted by a cover in the form of a pair of folded wings finely incised with feathers and pierced atop with a cash-coin aperture. The bronze is patinated to a dark brown tone with a smooth polish.

Geese had traditionally been a popular and symbolic subject for scholarly objects, given their association with the celebrated calligrapher Wang Xizhi 王羲之 (303 361), who reputedly had drawn inspiration for his wrist movements in calligraphy by observing the graceful necks of geese.

PROVENANCE

Collection of Dr Peter Nicolaus (1940-2020)

十七世紀　銅寶鵝香薰