Printed from Woolley & Wallis

Description

A CHINESE COPPER ALLOY ‘BA GUA’ TRIPOD INCENSE BURNER
HU WENMING MARK, LATE MING/EARLY QING DYNASTY

Of cylindrical form rising from trefoil feet, cast around the exterior with a band of the ba gua, the Eight Trigrams, within borders of Buddhist emblems, the base inscribed Hu Wenming zhi, with a paper label for the Finer Collection 'CB 81', 451g, 8cm.

Cf. Lin Pe-yu, Censers, Incense Burners and Hand Warmers: Wellington Wang Collection, no.151 for a related example.

明晚期/清早期 銅八卦紋爐
《胡文明製》

The Eight Trigrams (ba gua), Qian, Kun, Zhen, Xun, Kan, Li, Gen and Dui, consist of broken and solid lines which represent yin and yang respectively. They were probably first used by ancient diviners and later developed into a system of philosophy. Each Trigram represents a natural force: heaven, marsh, fire, thunder, wind, water, mountain and earth. They also symbolise movement, emotions and human relationships and have been used in China to predict patterns and cycles in nature and humanity.

From the Finer Collection of later bronzes and hand warmers.