Chinese Censer, ca. 1900

Attractive Chinese hand-engraved bronze censer, a sober, beautiful and very decorative piece. This item is a recipient used to burn incense inside in order to scent rooms. The censer is made of polished brass, and adorned with a hand-made engraved decoration depicting a series of wavy dragons with snake bodies and nice smiling bearded faces. The dragons decorate almost the whole surface and the background is embellished with subtle engraved curved concentric lines, performed surely to simulate a cloudy sky and provide the beast with a movement feeling at the same time.As stated before, the dragons are performed with high relief and look dynamic and alive. Their faces and movement are very realistic and they have also five-fingered claws. Five-fingered dragons are a symbol of good fortune in Chinese tradition. If the censers outside surface is profusely decorated we cannot say the same thing about the inside: it is flat and concave with flat walls. The censer is in quite good conditions, boasting a perfectly rounded shape with no relevant dents. The pieces mouth and base modeled in the shape of flat rings that stylize and lift the general design.It we turn the censer upside down we can see a stamp engraved at the base, square in shape and deeply marked in the metal. This ia a lovely bronze censer.Measurements: Width: 190 mm. Height: 60 mm.