A LARGE CHINESE BRONZE ELEPHANT CENSER AND COVER OF TRIPOD FORM CAST WITH ELEPHANT HANDLES AND FEET China, seal mark, inscribed Guangxin zhong zhi zhu, 17th ct. H. 69 cm The censer is cast in relief with leafy lotus scrolls flanked by a pair of handles in the form of elephant heads with their trunks raised. The body is supported on three elephant heads, with their curved trunks forming the legs. The openwork cover is decorated with lotus blooms borne on leafy tendrils surrounding the finial which is cast as a recumbent elephant carrying a bowl filled with precious objects on its back. From an old North German private collection, acquired in the late 1960s from China-Bohlken, Island of Sylt Compare a larger gilt, cloisonné enamel and bronze censer and cover illustrated by C. Bruckner in Chinese Imperial Patronage. Treasures from Temples and Palaces, Vol.II, London, 2005, Catalogue no. 30 Slightly chipped, few small repairs