A SANCAI GLAZED TRIPOD CENSER AND COVER, LATE QING DYNASTY

A SANCAI GLAZED TRIPOD CENSER AND COVER, LATE QING DYNASTY China, 19th century. The hexagonal body supported on three beast-mask feet, the shoulder and flat everted rim set with two dragon-shaped handles, the sides molded with phoenix, chilong, and cranes amid swirling clouds, the neck with pierced cash coins flanked by bats, below a band of key-fret to the rim. The reticulated cover with floral roundels amid clouds below a band of wan diaper and surmounted by a Buddhist lion finial with gaping mouth. The exterior covered in glazes of aubergine, green, white, blue, and yellow color. Provenance: From an old private collection in Bavaria, Germany, assembled since the 1960s. Condition: The vessel in very good condition with expected old wear overall and some manufacturing irregularities, including firing cracks to the base. The cover with losses, cracks, and old repairs. Weight: 1.4 kg Dimensions: Height 27.7 cm The base incised with an apocryphal six-character mark Da Qing Kangxi nianzhi. Literature comparison: Compare a closely related sancai censer, dated to the Qing dynasty, in the Zhenjiang Museum, China.