Square Lacquered Wooden Incense Burner – Hout, Lak, Verguld – China – Qing Dynastie (1644-1911)

Square Lacquered Wooden Incense BurnerSouthern China, Late Qing Dynasty (19th century)Wood, black lacquer with gilt decorationA finely crafted square incense burner, set on a low foot and richly decorated in black lacquer and gold. Each of the four sides is adorned with a distinct gilt design, combining poetic inscription and elegant pictorial scenes.Two panels depict pairs of birds amidst blossoming prunus branches, symbols of harmony and renewal, rendered with graceful linework and subtle shading. A third side shows a scholar within a riverside landscape, standing before a pavilion with distant pagoda, evoking the cultivated ideals of leisure and contemplation. The remaining two panels bear gilt inscriptions of classical Chinese poems, composed in refined calligraphy.One inscription records a verse by Wang Wenbai (汪文柏), written upon ascending the Mist and Rain Pavilion (烟雨楼):“Clouds and wild geese soar across the sky,Beyond the eaves, one only hears the pecking in the trees.Truly a fine verse, a trace of soaring grace.Indeed, the elder’s poem is once again exquisite.”— Inscribed by Mr. Yingyang (瀛陽氏)The second inscription offers a lyrical meditation on music and emotion, referencing the pipa and classical tones of gong and shang:“Ziyue’s artful hand brings harmony to the tones of gong and shang,Urgent yet... lees verder bij Catawiki