Chinese Cloisonné Censer, ca. 1850
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GUEST:
It's an incense burner, I believe. A friend of mine was dying of brain cancer a few years ago. And she insisted that I, uh, keep this for her. Her mother-in-law was a world traveler, probably around 1910, 1920, and she brought it back from somewhere in Asia. She wasn't close at all to her mother-in-law, and it was in a storage locker. Only after her mother-in-law died did she find that this was in
the storage locker.
APPRAISER:
This is a cloisonné enamel censer. And cloisonné is a technique where you take a copper or a bronze base...
GUEST:
Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER:
...and you affix it with wires and make partitions, which is what cloison means in French. And this process came into China, 'cause this is a Chinese incense burner around the 1400s. By the time of the Qing Dynasty, which started in 1662, they had imperial workshops making things like this. Because of the particular technique and the enamels involved, we can place it from the 19th century. This piece is rich with symbolism. What kind of fruit do you think this is?
GUEST:
Fruit?
APPRAISER:
Mm-hmm.
GUEST:
I have no idea.
APPRAISER:
It's a pomegranate.
GUEST:
Oh.
APPRAISER:
In this case, it's a ripe pomegranate, where you have these seeds burgeoning out from the surface.
GUEST:
Ah.
APPRAISER:
And pomegranate in Chinese is pronounced, Shíliú, and it's symbolic of having many children.
GUEST:
Mm.
APPRAISER:
And the fact that this is a ripe pomegranate with all of these seeds, which are multicolored stones, indicates that it's a wish for many, many children. This symbolism here, which is cracked ice and prunus, means the coming and the welcoming of spring. You have the plum emerging from the ice. So it's of renewal. An added bonus with this piece is that it comes with a complementary hardwood base, which is also carved in a series of ripe pomegranates. Pieces of this fruit shape are usually smaller. This is a big censer. This is a tour de force object. At auction, something like this would carry a pre-sale estimate of between $15,000 and $25,000.
GUEST:
Whoa! (laughs) No kidding!
APPRAISER:
Yes. What a gift from your friend.
GUEST:
Certainly is. Thanks, Millie. (laughs)
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