405.
A GOLD-INLAID BRONZE INCENSE VASE WITH SPOON AND A PAIR OF TONGS
Qing dynasty, 18th century
… cm high
Provenance: Naples, Villa della Floridiana, Museo Duca di Martina, Placido de Sangro (1829-1891) collection.
inv. n. ….
The inlaid decoration on the exterior, with a literati playing the qin instrument under a pine tree, suggests this vase was originally intended for the scholar’s studio.
The fumigation of incense was in fact a practice widely diffused in China, not only in Buddhist and Taoist temples but also to perfume the clothes and to inspire meditation.
This vase was explicitly destined to hold the spoon and the tongs when not used. It is part of a traditional incense set together with a small box and cover and an incense burner.
