An extremely rare cloisonné-inset mother-of-pearl flecked lacquer incense stand. Mark and Period of Wanli

An extremely rare cloisonné-inset mother-of-pearl flecked lacquer incense stand. Mark and Period of Wanli

the circular top inset with a pair of cloisonné dragons, one red and one green, encircling a flaming pearl, reserved against a bright turquoise ground with clouds, secured within the lacquer frame with rounded sides and a stepped base supported on a circular shaped waist pierced with five quatrelobed apertures with traces of gilding, encircled by a thumb-moulded band above a rounded cusped curvilinear apron extending to five slender legs interrupted by pairs of flanges in the middle and terminating in cabriole legs curving around a ball and resting on a ball foot, all set upon a circular stretcher, the purple lacquered surface mixed with a fine iridescent dusting of mother-of–pearl, carved in the orange lacquer on the underside of the table top with a vertical six-character reign mark. 89.5 by 38.5 cm 35 1/4 by 15 1/8 in. Estimate ,000,000—5,000,000 HKD

NOTE: The round five-leg incense stand with the entire ground in black lacquer arrayed with inlaid mother-of-pearl particles set with moulding around the top edge, above the high waist. The joints at the tops of the legs are exposed, taking the place of pillar-shaped struts, and the legs themselves are divided at midpoint by little inlaid ornamental panel medallions. Below the waist is a stepped apron moulding, inside which the curved lines of the openings are especially beautiful. The cabriole legs gracefully sweep downwards where at the bottom they bend back enclosing pearls as inside the curve of an elephant's trunk—an extremely lively design. The unique feature of this incense stand is the cloisonné design on the top, which consists of a pair of dragons playing with a pearl. The underside is inscribed in gold "Made in a year of the Wanli reign of the Great Ming Dynasty" in regular script calligraphy.

Compare with two examples in the Palace Museum, Beijing; one of a shorter black lacquer stand sprinkled with mother-of-pearl with an inset cloisonné top with dragons; the other of a red lacquer incense stand inset with a cloisonné top with plum blossoms, both illustrated in Furniture of the Ming and Qing Dynasties (I), The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Hong Kong, 2002, p. 64. no. 49 and p. 194, no. 165. An earlier black lacquer stand of similar but shorter form, was offered in these rooms, 2nd November 1994, lot 254. Compare a related huanghuali stand, illustrated in Sarah Handler, 'Classical Chinese Furniture in the Renaissance Collection', Orientations, January 1991, fig. 12

Sotheby's. Ming Imperial Furniture- The Biegucang Collection. 08 Apr 09. Hong Kong www.sothebys.com photo courtesy Sotheby's