Lot 160 , A Chinese bronze censer, gui, small seal script private mark, 17th/18th century, casting faults to interior

A Chinese bronze censer, gui, small seal script private mark, 17th/18th century, the heavy baluster-shaped body cast in relief with a pair of lion mask handles, on a tapering circular foot, olive-brown patina, six character small seal script ‘Great Ming…’ private mark to base, 17.5cm wide handle to handle, rim 14cm diameter, 9.2cm high, casting faults to interior
£1,500-2,000

Condition:
Provenance - UK private collection, 1920s or earlier, thence by family descent. This collection of late Ming and Qing dynasty porcelain and bronze vessels has been owned by a single Cotswold family for a number of generations dating back to the 1920s or earlier. The collection was formerly on display at the family home in Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire, UK before the house was sold in the 1980s. Some interior photos taken c.1982 show a number of the pieces on display in the family house and an inventory undertaken in 1948 by the local Campden auctioneer and valuer Alfred Bower lists many of the items. Extracts of the 1948 inventory are included where they correspond to the relevant lots in the sale. There is some pitting to the casting on the interior of the vessel, a few nicks and indentations to the edge, otherwise in good condition with no restoration or damage detected. Weight 2.35kg

Sold for £6,500