Censer

Reflecting the scholarly taste for antiquity, this gilded bronze censer (a container to hold fragrant burning incense) is made in imitation of a Bronze Age ritual vessel known as gui. It is cast and carved in relief, displaying a scrolling pattern in the neck and foot and a succession of lions in the main body, all accented in gilt. The center of the base is inset with a large, rectangular cartouche containing a six-character seal-script mark, which reads, “Made by Hu Wenming of Yunjian.” Yunjian is present-day Songjiang near Shanghai, also the hometown of this metalwork master Hu Wenming, whose craftsmanship was greatly admired during the late Ming dynasty.