A rare Chinese Longquan celadon glazed lobed incense burner, Southern Song/Yuan Dynasty, the truncated lobed body supported on three slightly splayed legs, the shoulder with a horizontal rib intersecting vertical flanges associated with the mouth rim stimulating the form of a blooming mallow, rising to a short neck and an everted rim, applied throughout with an unctuous sea green glaze thinning to a pale green at the ridges, the bottom of each leg left unglazed revealing the pale ware burnt russet-orange in the firing. With a Japanese silver cover and a Japanese wooden box, the cover of the box is inscribed, a Aoyama family collection label on the reverse side of the cover. The present incense burner, elegantly modelled with an undulating mouth rim to simulate the form of a blooming mallow, is highly unusual. Mallow shape is not uncommon on bowls and dishes, but it is extremely rare to find it on an incense burner. The exquisite bluish-green kinuta glaze as seen on the present vessel was particularly valued in Japan, where the incense ceremony kodo plays a highly important role. A very similar censer please see Bonhams Hong Kong, 29/05/2023, lot 308. A Ge ware tripod incense burner with a similar barbed rim and sides, published in Ge ci ya ji. Gugong Bowuyuan zhencang ji chutu Geyao cigi huicui [Selection of Ge Ware. The Palace Museum collection and Archaeological Discoveries], Palace Museum, Beijing, 2017, pl. 108. 4.33 in. diameter, 3.54 in. high, /
- Everted - An everted rim is an outwardly turning or flaring outwards rim, as seen the rims on jugs, vases, bowls and dishes.
- Important - Important is a word used in the antique trade to indicate an object should be ranked above other similar objects, and is therefore more valuable.
The object could be considered important because it is by a famous designer or maker, has been shown at a major exhibition, is of exquisite workmanship, is rare or is a "one-off", was made for an important patron, and so on.
Even further up the pecking order are objects that are described in catalogue descriptions as highly important or extraordinarily important.
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