29 - The Property of a Gentleman, to be offered without reserve (Lots 1 - 56)

The Property of a Gentleman, to be offered without reserve (Lots 1 - 56) A Chinese lead green-glazed 'mountain' incense burner, boshan lu Han dynasty Typically formed as a stemmed bowl rising from a saucer, the cover moulded in the form of a mystical mountain and pierced to allow the incense smoke to escape, covered overall in an iridescent lead-green glaze,18cm high x 17cm diameter. (Import Duty Charged on the Hammer Price)落槌價徵收進口關稅 Provenance: British private collection, assembled in Hong Kong 1988-1998. 漢 鉛綠釉博山爐 來源：英國私人收藏，於1988至1998年間在香港購藏。 Boshanlu was a popular type of bronze or pottery incense vessel during the Han and Jin dynasties. Its name derives from the tiered mountain peaks sculpted on the cover, which evoke Boshan, the legendary island of immortals believed to lie in the Eastern Sea, where the elixir of longevity could be found. When incense was burned, fragrant smoke rose through the openwork apertures in the cover, drifting among the peaks like mist enveloping a range of sacred mountains. During the Han dynasty, beliefs in immortals and the teachings of Daoist alchemists flourished. From members of the imperial family and the aristocracy to ordinary people, many aspired to discover the secret of eternal life. The boshanlu thus embodied far more than the practical function of an incense burner: it served as a vessel for spiritual aspirations, expressing the yearning to transcend the mortal world and ascend to the realm of immortals. The base is frequently decorated with waves, symbolising the Eastern Sea and completing the visionary image of a sacred mountain rising above the waters - a realm where the mortal and immortal worlds meet. 博山爐是中國漢、晉時期流行的一種青銅或陶製薰香器具。其名源自爐蓋雕刻的層疊山巒，象徵著傳說中的海上長壽仙山「博山」。焚香時，煙霧從蓋的鏤空紋飾中升騰而起，仿若雲霧繚繞仙山群峰。汉代，方士神仙之说盛行，从皇亲贵戚到尋常百姓，都希冀求得长生不老之术，博山爐「器以載道」，正是寄託了這種羽化登仙的美好願望。底盤多裝飾有波濤紋樣，象徵東海，以造海上仙山之景。