Incense burner in the form of a duck probably late Ming dynasty, 17th century
Engraved bronze | 31.7 x 26.0 x 9.5 cm (whole object) | RCIN 70002
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Incense burner in the form of a duck. Hollow and standing on one leg, leaning forward on a two-tiered base with four corner feet, the bird open-beaked and with slender neck, the upper part removable and usable as a handle. The wing and tail feathers with engraved details, the latter turned up and meeting in a point.
Text adapted from Chinese and Japanese Works of Art in the Collection of Her Majesty The Queen: Volume III.
Provenance
Presented to Queen Victoria by Lt.-Col. Henry Hope Crealock in c.1860. In 1860, the Allied (British and French) troops were involved in the sacking of the Yuanmingyuan outside Beijing. As a result, a variety of works of art appear to have been taken. The British Ambassador ordered all such objects to be surrendered and a prize sale to be held where all and sundry could bid for these objects. Crealock was among those who acquired pieces.
Recorded and illustrated in the Windsor Castle North Corridor Inventory of Arms and Armour, no. 700, and recorded in the Windsor Castle Catalogue of Bronzes, no. 182. Recorded in the Museum (now China Museum) at Windsor Castle in 1900 (no.430). -
Creator(s)
(place of production)(nationality)Acquirer(s)
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Medium and techniques
Engraved bronze
Measurements
31.7 x 26.0 x 9.5 cm (whole object)
Category
Object type(s)
Place of Production
China