Ming "XuanDe" Imperialware Bronze Tripod Incense Burner

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? ? ? Treasured Bronze from Ming Dynasty ( 1368 - 1644 AD ) ? ? ? A glimpse of Ming Dynasty Culture See our other auction ! Glimmering from Ancient Era ? Every piece tells a fabulous story ????????????????? ? Rare Ming Dynasty "Xuan De" Imperial ware Bronze Tripod Incense Burner Xuan De Reign (1426-1435 A.D.) A rare XuanDe Lu, or aka XuanDe period incense pot. During this time in China's history, copper smelting technology had risen to a very high degree of perfection. XuanDe Lu are highly prized, even during XuanDe's reign. One scholarly Chinese text known as the Chinese Big Dictionary "CiHai" described that even during the Ming dynasty, XuanDe period, a XuanDeLu being worth 1000 liang (5 kg silver)! As you can see, XuanDe Lu were famous even then. Firstly, the XuanDe burner was made from many kinds of raw materials. Except cooper, the raw material of the burner also contains some expensive materials such as gold and silver etc, so the quality of the burners is very fine and smooth and they show dim purple or dark brown. Secondly, the burners were refined for many times. Normally the burners must be refined for four times, but the Xuande burners were refined for twelve times, so the quality of the burners became more pure and fine, just like the skin of a baby. Thirdly, they sparkled with gold. The gold-plated Xuande burners or Xuande burners inlaid with gold all sparkled with gold, which give people a feeling that these burners are very unique and exquisite T is another very interesting fact of XuanDeLu bronze. During his reign, XuanDe very much wanted his bronze wares not to oxidize or corrode. So he tasked his alchemist to find a way to produce bronze ware and not have it corrode over time. The clever alchemist found a rare and strange new substance that when introduced to the smelting process prohibited the metal from oxidizing. XuanDe was pleased and ordered all his his bronze wares made with this new process. Shortly after his decree, his smelters and metal workers one by one began to fall seriously ill. Production was forced to abruptly halt. It was not until some time later, that the secret of strange illness was discovered. The illness was caused by the introduction of the alchemist's strange new substance. It was mercury! This XuanDe incense burner is cast in solid bronze. The form is a low and wide bellied vessel with two large "ear" handles. The bronze walls are moderately thick, strong, but not bulky respective to the form. A XuanDe 6-character seal was cast on the bottom of the pot and reads: DaMingXuanDeNianZhi (Big Ming Dynasty XuanDe Period Made). This piece has a certificate of authenticity, signed by Mr. Xu, director of the Shanghai Museum, China. He is also a very famous expert on Chinese porcelain. Also this piece has a red seal from the Chinese Society of Folk Antiques Collection. Height: 7.5 cm, width: 12.5cm, Weight :4.0 Kg Condition: Good Each item sold by us has 100% money back guarantee and come with a Certificate of Authenticity from CSFAC Dynasty Antiques Co. Ltd. is one member of the CSFAC (Chinese Society of Folk Antique Collection) and abides by the rules of conduct, you can contact with us at or contact with CSFAC at ? ? ? ? ? Our advice to ALL eBay buyer: Whether you buy your antiquities from us or other ebay sellers we strongly recommend that you show all your purchases to your nearest reputable state museum for authentication and peace of mind. Unfortunately the ancient art market is cursed with a high proportion of fakes. Fakes often look better than real antiquities to the inexperienced eye - they are often intact, invariably unrestored (although their c... read more

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