A HU WENMING PARCEL-GILT 'DRAGON' BRONZE CENSER, LATE MING China, 17th century. Of archaistic gui form, the compressed globular body supported on a splayed lipped foot and flanked by a pair of handles cast separately as a dragon body issuing from the mouth of a dragon mask. The base with the six-character mark yujian huwenming zhi in a gilt rectangle. Provenance: Property of an English gentleman. Condition: Good condition with old wear and minor casting flaws, scattered small dents, and surface scratches along the mouth rim and base. Weight: 563.5 g Dimensions: Length 17.5 cm handle to handle The sides decorated with a band of mythical sea creatures flanking a chilong, dragon and qilin amidst wind-tossed waves, above a band of ruyi patterns and below a band of confronting phoenixes on the waisted neck, both reserved on a finely stippled ground. Hu Wenming is one of the most renowned metalworkers in Chinese history and one of the few whose name and style are discussed in Chinese arthistorical writing. Most of the works attributed to Hu Wenming are scholarly objects, such as incense burners and brush pots, characterized by densely worked backgrounds covered with naturalistic and other motifs cast in high relief. Auction result comparison: Compare with a closely related censer by Hu Wenming sold by Sotheby's Hong Kong in Important Chinese Art on 3 April 2019, lot 3706, for HKD $250,000 incl. buyer's premium. 胡文明鎏金龍紋簋式爐，明末 中國，十七世紀。爐作簋式，束頸鼓腹，圈足較高，兩側置一對蚰龍耳，器仿商周青銅簋，造型頗為古雅。爐身滿飾紋飾，其上以高浮雕刻龍紋，爐底正中鎏金並刻『雲間胡文明製』篆書款。 來源：英國紳士財產 品相：狀況良好，老磨損和輕微鑄造缺陷，小凹痕，嘴部邊緣和底座表面劃痕。 重量：563.5 克 尺寸：雙耳之間長17.5 厘米 拍賣成果比較：一件胡文明製局部鎏金銅瑞獸紋簋式爐2019年4月3日售于香港蘇富比 《重要中國藝術》拍號3706，成交價HKD $250,000含賣家佣金。