0
9,849  PAGES BROWSED TODAY PAGES TODAY • 36  ANTIQUES UPLOADED TODAY NEW ARRIVALS
Sorted by
Per page
DEALER LOGIN
Selling Antiques Logo
0
Saved
Home
Return
Dealer Login
500+ Shops
Dealers
Newly Added
0
Saved
Sort Order
Latest
Price Low
Price High
sellingantiques.co.uk
ID #SA1204843
FOR SALE
£425
Email
Save
Antique Chinese Scholar’s Studio Bronze Censer – Late Qing Dynasty – Rare Heavyweight (163g) Miniature with Fine Patina
Sandbanks Antiques
for sale €497     $540
£425
Sandbanks Antiques

Sandbanks Antiques

Sellingantiques Verified Since Jan 2025
View Dealers Stock Page
  • About Us
    Specialising in antique silver, gold boxes, gold coins and objects de vertu. Rare fine-quality imperial chinese porcelain, jades, cloisonné
Relevant Links
Id #SA1204843
PDF SHARE
SAVE

Antique Chinese Scholar’s Studio Bronze Censer – Late Qing Dynasty – Rare Heavyweight (163g) Miniature with Fine Patina

19th century
Description

Antique Chinese Scholar’s Studio Bronze Censer – Late Qing Dynasty – Rare Heavyweight (163g) Miniature with Fine Dateskin Patina

A Rare Miniature of Exceptional Quality

Circa 1890

This is a definitive "Scholar’s Desk" (Wenfang) bronze, designed for the private studio of the Chinese literati. Unlike larger, common censers, this palm-sized masterpiece is distinguished by its incredible density and untouched historical surface.

Significant Weight: Measuring just 6cm, it weighs a massive 163 Grams. This density is the primary hallmark of a high-copper, 19th-century workshop casting.

Original "Dateskin" Surface: A rich, reddish-gold patina glows beneath a deep chocolate bronze exterior, the result of over a century of natural handling.

Documented Age: The base features a hand-carved Da Qing Nian Zhi mark, heavily packed with fossilized mineral grit— showing its 100+ year history.

Natural Verdigris: Recesses are filled with stable, crystalline green mineral deposits (not paint), confirming organic atmospheric aging.

Dimensions: 4.5 cm (H) x 6 cm (W).

Weight: 163g.

Period: Late Qing Dynasty (c. 1880–1910).

Condition: Good, Retains historical carbonization from use.

Provenance Label

Declaration

Sandbanks Antiques has dated this Antique Chinese Bronze Censer to the 19th Century.

Reference Numbers
Sellingantiques Reference
SA1204843
Description
Antique Chinese Scholar’s Studio Bronze Censer – Late Qing Dynasty – Rare Heavyweight (163g) Miniature with Fine Dateskin Patina

A Rare Miniature of Exceptional Quality

Circa 1890

“
This is a definitive "Scholar’s Desk" (Wenfang) bronze, designed for the private studio of the Chinese literati.
Sandbanks Antiques

Unlike larger, common censers, this palm-sized masterpiece is distinguished by its incredible density and untouched historical surface.

fig 1. A miniature Chinese bronze tripod censer featuring loop handles and an aged reddish-brown patina.
fig 1. Antique Chinese Scholar’s Studio Bronze Censer – Late Qing Dynasty – Rare Heavyweight (163g) Miniature with Fine Patina

Significant Weight: Measuring just 6cm, it weighs a massive 163 Grams. This density is the primary hallmark of a high-copper, 19th-century workshop casting.

Original "Dateskin" Surface: A rich, reddish-gold patina glows beneath a deep chocolate bronze exterior, the result of over a century of natural handling.

fig 2. A miniature Chinese bronze tripod censer featuring loop handles and an aged reddish-brown patina.
fig 2. Antique Chinese Scholar’s Studio Bronze Censer – Late Qing Dynasty – Rare Heavyweight (163g) Miniature with Fine Patina

Documented Age: The base features a hand-carved Da Qing Nian Zhi mark, heavily packed with fossilized mineral grit— showing its 100+ year history.

Natural Verdigris: Recesses are filled with stable, crystalline green mineral deposits (not paint), confirming organic atmospheric aging.

Dimensions: 4.5 cm (H) x 6 cm (W).

Weight: 163g.

Period: Late Qing Dynasty (c. 1880–1910).

Condition: Good, Retains historical carbonization from use.

Provenance Label

Date of Manufacture

Sandbanks Antiques has dated this Antique Chinese Bronze Censer to the 19th Century.

Reference Numbers
Sellingantiques Ref
SA1204843
Sandbanks Antiques
Sandbanks Antiques
Sellingantiques verified Since Jan 2025

Specialising in antique silver, gold boxes, gold coins and objects de vertu. Rare fine-quality imperial chinese porcelain, jades, cloisonné

Dealer Profile

You can view the stock and full dealer information on the Sandbanks Antiques Profile Page

Relevant Links
PDF SHARE
SAVE
A miniature Chinese bronze tripod censer featuring loop handles and an aged reddish-brown patina.
1 / 10
Archive I A miniature Chinese bronze tripod censer featuring loop handles and an aged reddish-brown patina.

Antique Chinese Scholar’s Studio Bronze Censer – Late Qing Dynasty – Rare Heavyweight (163g) Miniature with Fine Patina

Archive II A miniature Chinese bronze tripod censer featuring loop handles and an aged reddish-brown patina. View II
Archive III A miniature Chinese bronze tripod censer featuring loop handles and an aged reddish-brown patina. View III
Archive IV A miniature Chinese bronze tripod censer featuring loop handles and an aged reddish-brown patina. View IV
Archive V A miniature Chinese bronze tripod censer featuring loop handles and an aged reddish-brown patina. View V
Archive VI A miniature Chinese bronze tripod censer featuring loop handles and an aged reddish-brown patina. View VI
Archive VII A miniature Chinese bronze tripod censer featuring loop handles and an aged reddish-brown patina. View VII
Archive VIII A miniature Chinese bronze tripod censer featuring loop handles and an aged reddish-brown patina. View VIII
Archive IX A miniature Chinese bronze tripod censer featuring loop handles and an aged reddish-brown patina. View IX
Archive X A miniature Chinese bronze tripod censer featuring loop handles and an aged reddish-brown patina. View X
Enlarged Archival View
Sandbanks Antiques

Sandbanks Antiques
Telephone 07889 139677
Location
Sandbanks
Poole
Dorset
United Kingdom

By appointment only in Poole or London.
Dealer Profile Page sellingantiques.co.uk/sandbanks
Verified Since Jan 2025
Items For Sale 177
Items Sold 79
Sandbanks Antiques
Sandbanks Antiques
Verified Since Jan 2025
View Dealer Info
Location: Sandbanks, Poole, Dorset, United Kingdom, , By appointment only in Poole or London.
Profile: sellingantiques.co.uk/sandbanks
Verified
Jan 2025
For Sale
177
Sold
79
A miniature Chinese bronze tripod censer featuring loop handles and an aged reddish-brown patina.
Antique Chinese Scholar’s Studio Bronze Censer – Late Qing Dynasty – Rare Heavyweight (163g) Miniature with Fine Patina
Ref: SA1204843
A miniature Chinese bronze tripod censer featuring loop handles and an aged reddish-brown patina.
Detail View 19
Detail View 20
Detail View 21
Detail View 22
Detail View 23
Detail View 24
Detail View 28
Detail View 29
Detail View 30
Archival Detail

Strictly Vetted Dealers

Every single antique dealer on our platform is individually approved by our internal team. We verify their professional trade history, ethical standards, and photographic quality to ensure a secure, high-standard buying environment. Upon joining, every dealer agrees to a strict 9-point code of conduct. While issues can occasionally arise, our dealers typically resolve them swiftly and directly with the buyer. In fact, since our founding in 2002, Sellingantiques has only had to step in to help resolve an issue on roughly five occasions—a true testament to the quality of our dealers and their dedication to your happiness.

Secure Transit

Our dealers are highly experienced in packing and shipping fragile, high-value antiques. Because you are in direct contact with the dealer, you will be able to easily go through all available shipping and insurance options together to ensure your item arrives safely.

The Sustainable Choice

Antiques are the ultimate green purchase. By choosing historical pieces over newly manufactured goods, you completely eliminate the carbon footprint of modern mass production while preserving exceptional, timeless craftsmanship.

FAQs

In traditional Chinese culture, censers were central objects within a scholars studio, used to burn aromatic materials during contemplation, calligraphy, or meditation. During the Qing Dynasty, these metal vessels served both practical incense-burning purposes and aesthetic functions on writing desks.

Chinese censers were predominantly cast from copper alloys or bronze using lost-wax or piece-mould casting processes. The cast forms were subsequently hand-finished, chased, and patinated to achieve specific surface tones and textures.

Authentic period censers typically display natural surface wear, deliberate weight consistent with dense metal casting, and genuine oxidisation or patina accumulated over time. Construction details such as casting seam smoothing and hand-carved finishing marks also indicate traditional craftsmanship.

A bronze miniature censer works well as a tactile accent object on an office desk, coffee table, or styled bookshelf alongside art monographs and natural elements. Its neutral metallic tones blend easily with dark timber, marble, or minimalist surfaces.

Preserve the original surface by dusting regularly with a dry, soft microfibre cloth. Avoid chemical metal polishes, abrasive pads, or liquid cleansers, as these remove the historic patina and reduce original surface integrity.
items
Add keywords to the filter
Price
£100
£250000
Era
Movements
Material
Origin
Stock Location
Freshness
Online Payments
Categories