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ID #SA1239501
FOR SALE
£3,950
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Rare 18th-century Miniature Chinese Bronze Tripod Censer (Wenfang)
For sale by Sandbanks Antiques
for sale €4,622     $5,017
£3,950
Sandbanks Antiques

Sandbanks Antiques

Sellingantiques Verified Since Jan 2025
Browse dealers 218 items
  • About Us
    Specialising in antique silver, gold boxes, gold coins and objects de vertu. Rare fine-quality imperial chinese porcelain, jades, cloisonné
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Rare 18th-century Miniature Chinese Bronze Tripod Censer (Wenfang)

18th century
Description

Rare 18th-Century Miniature Chinese Bronze Tripod Censer (Wenfang)

Category: Chinese Asian Works of Art / Metalwork

Period: 18th Century (Qing Dynasty)

Style: Scholar's Desk Miniature (Wenfang)

Mark: Retrospective Six-Character Xuande Mark (Da Ming Xuande Nian Zhi)

An exceptional and rare 18th-century Chinese miniature cast-bronze tripod censer of compact, heavy-pour form. Designed specifically for the scholar's desk (wenfang), this fine vessel features a compressed globular body flanked by a pair of elegant upright loop handles (qiao-er) set above a flared rim, all raised upon three well-balanced cabriole feet.

The underside features a sharply cast six-character retrospective Xuande seal mark recessed within a square panel, showing authentic aged verdigris tone in the recesses.

The bronze displays a warm, rich golden-honey patination and an exceptionally dense weight-to-scale ratio, weighing 302 grams despite its diminutive 7.5 cm footprint.

Specifications & Dimensions

Width (Overall): 7.5 cm

Internal Diameter: 6.0 cm

Weight: 302 grams

Material: Cast Copper Alloy / Heavy Bronze

Condition: Excellent antique condition, retaining authentic age patination, interior burning residue from historical incense use, and light handling wear consistent with period age.

Provenance: The G S. May Esquire Private Collection, London

Declaration

Sandbanks Antiques has dated this Chinese Bronze Tripod Censer to the 18th Century.

Reference Numbers
Sellingantiques Reference
SA1239501
Description
Rare 18th-Century Miniature Chinese Bronze Tripod Censer (Wenfang)

Category: Chinese Asian Works of Art / Metalwork

Period: 18th Century (Qing Dynasty)

Style: Scholar's Desk Miniature (Wenfang)

Mark: Retrospective Six-Character Xuande Mark (Da Ming Xuande Nian Zhi)

“
An exceptional and rare 18th-century Chinese miniature cast-bronze tripod censer of compact, heavy-pour form.
Sandbanks Antiques

Designed specifically for the scholar's desk (wenfang), this fine vessel features a compressed globular body flanked by a pair of elegant upright loop handles (qiao-er) set above a flared rim, all raised upon three well-balanced cabriole feet.

fig 1. A miniature cast bronze tripod censer featuring loop handles, conical legs, and natural surface patination.
fig 1. Rare 18th-century Miniature Chinese Bronze Tripod Censer (Wenfang)

The underside features a sharply cast six-character retrospective Xuande seal mark recessed within a square panel, showing authentic aged verdigris tone in the recesses.

The bronze displays a warm, rich golden-honey patination and an exceptionally dense weight-to-scale ratio, weighing 302 grams despite its diminutive 7.5 cm footprint.

fig 2. A miniature cast bronze tripod censer featuring loop handles, conical legs, and natural surface patination.
fig 2. Rare 18th-century Miniature Chinese Bronze Tripod Censer (Wenfang)

Specifications & Dimensions

Width (Overall): 7.5 cm

Internal Diameter: 6.0 cm

Weight: 302 grams

Material: Cast Copper Alloy / Heavy Bronze

Condition: Excellent antique condition, retaining authentic age patination, interior burning residue from historical incense use, and light handling wear consistent with period age.

Provenance: The G S. May Esquire Private Collection, London

Date of Manufacture

Sandbanks Antiques has dated this Chinese Bronze Tripod Censer to the 18th Century.

Reference Numbers
Sellingantiques Ref
SA1239501
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

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A miniature cast bronze tripod censer featuring loop handles, conical legs, and natural surface patination.
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Archive I A miniature cast bronze tripod censer featuring loop handles, conical legs, and natural surface patination.

Rare 18th-century Miniature Chinese Bronze Tripod Censer (Wenfang)

Archive II A miniature cast bronze tripod censer featuring loop handles, conical legs, and natural surface patination. View II
Archive III A miniature cast bronze tripod censer featuring loop handles, conical legs, and natural surface patination. View III
Archive IV A miniature cast bronze tripod censer featuring loop handles, conical legs, and natural surface patination. View IV
Archive V A miniature cast bronze tripod censer featuring loop handles, conical legs, and natural surface patination. View V
Archive VI A miniature cast bronze tripod censer featuring loop handles, conical legs, and natural surface patination. View VI
Archive VII A miniature cast bronze tripod censer featuring loop handles, conical legs, and natural surface patination. View VII
Archive VIII A miniature cast bronze tripod censer featuring loop handles, conical legs, and natural surface patination. View VIII
Archive IX A miniature cast bronze tripod censer featuring loop handles, conical legs, and natural surface patination. View IX
Archive X A miniature cast bronze tripod censer featuring loop handles, conical legs, and natural surface patination. View X
Archive XI A miniature cast bronze tripod censer featuring loop handles, conical legs, and natural surface patination. View XI
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 218
Items Sold 87
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
218
Sold
87
A miniature cast bronze tripod censer featuring loop handles, conical legs, and natural surface patination.
Rare 18th-Century Miniature Chinese Bronze Tripod Censer (Wenfang)
Ref: SA1239501
A miniature cast bronze tripod censer featuring loop handles, conical legs, and natural surface patination.
Detail View 1
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Archival Detail

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Cataloguer’s note

Written by Sellingantiques from the dealer’s photographs and listing
  • ObjectIncense Burners
  • Period18th century
  • StyleQing Dynasty
  • MaterialBronze
  • ColourWarm Bronze
  • MotifsLoop handles, Conical tripod legs, Squat circular body

This miniature cast bronze tripod censer from the Qing Dynasty belongs to the 18th-century scholar's desk tradition. The vessel presents a squat circular body in a warm bronze finish, featuring two upright loop handles, three conical tripod legs, and interior burning residue from historical incense use with verdigris tones. Measuring 7.5 cm in overall width with a heavy-pour form, the piece has a dense weight-to-scale ratio. Suitable for use on an office desk, the censer brings traditional metalwork into a modern workspace. The compact format allows placement among books and desk accessories where it functions as a decorative container or display piece. The metal construction and traditional form suit a gentleman's library interior scheme.

FAQs

A Chinese bronze tripod censer is a traditional metalwork vessel designed for burning incense during rituals, meditation, or scholarly activities in historic Asia.

These vessels were typically produced using lost-wax casting methods or piece-mould technique with copper alloys, featuring integral handles and conical tripod legs.

Authentic period censers display age-appropriate surface patination, natural oxidisation inside the bowl, hand-finished detailing, and proportionate weight relative to their scale.

A miniature bronze censer can be integrated into contemporary spaces as a decorative accent on a desk, bookshelf, or sideboard alongside art volumes and ceramics.

Dust the surface regularly with a soft dry brush or microfibre cloth, keeping the vessel free from chemical cleaners that strip historical patination.
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