Globular censer with attached basin
3rd-4th century CE
Description
Slightly compressed globular openwork censer with knob in the form of a melon and three cabriole legs; attached to a three-legged circular basin with everted rim; censer has three horizontal friezes of sawtooth-edged crescent-shaped openings interspersed with small triangular apertures and one large triangular opening with two sawtooth-edged sides; lightly incised lines demarcate the friezes; basin has lightly incised horizontal lines encircling its body just below rim and stamped circles on the rim; light gray stoneware body with olive-green celadon glaze all over, including the underside; several spur marks on base indicate the piece was slightly elevated in the kiln when fired. From the Yue kilns in the Shaoxing area of northeastern Zhejiang. Numerous censers of this form, most with celadon glazes, have been excavated from numerous third- and fourth-century tombs in Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces.
Dimensions
H. 17.5 x Diam. 15 cm (6 7/8 x 5 7/8 in.)
Provenance
[J.J. Lally & Co., New York, 2002] sold; to Walter C. Sedgwick Foundation, Woodside, CA (2002-2006), partial gift; to Harvard University Art Museums, 2006.
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