A RARE PAIR OF TIANQI AND QIANGJIN LACQUER RECTANGULAR 'SHOU' INCENSE STANDS17th/18th century Each finely incised and coloured in varying shades of red, green and burnt amber shading to black, the large rectangular top decorated with intricate diaper designs centred by blossoming lotus and Shou characters, the recessed waist and spandrels defined by reticulated interlocking chilong designs, the aprons decorated with further sinuous chilong and blossoming lotus, the same motifs continuing onto the straight legs ending in hoof feet connected by rectangular stretchers. 71cm (27 1/2in) high x 44cm (17 1/4in) wide x 30cm (11 3/4in) deep. (2). 十七/十八世紀 戧金填漆螭龍番蓮紋香幾一對 Incense stands such as the present lot were a variation of the more traditional square and round form, which appear to have been in use from at least the 12th century; see, for example, the square stands supporting flower vases, which were carved in relief on the northern wall of tomb of Dong Ming in Houma, Shanxi Province, illustrated in Relief carved tombs of the Jin dynasty in Pingyang , Taiyuan, 1999. Stands were used in both religious and secular contexts and served a variety of purposes, as contemporaneous paintings and woodblock prints illustrate. Often positioned in the centre of a room, such stands often supported incense burners. Incense was not just burned during the performance of religious rituals; Sothern Song connoisseur, Zhao Xigu, in his guidebook focusing on the scholar's elegant taste, has a chapter on the antique zither referring to the burning of incense whilst playing. Incense purified and concentrated the mind, producing that exaltation necessary for both playing and appreciating music; see S.Handler, The Austere Luminosity of Chinese Classical Furniture , Hong Kong, 2001, p.297. Stands also supported a variety of other objects including miniature gardens and antiques. Stands were designed with great attention to detail and form, pleasing to the eye from any angle. See for example, the painting (titled 'One or Two?'), circa 1700s, in the Palace Museum, Beijing, showing a painting of the Qianlong emperor seated, looking at antiques, and flanked by a pair of related stands, but supporting antiques, illustrated in The Emperor's Private Paradise: Treasures from the Forbidden City , New Haven and London, 2010, pp.188-189. Just as other painted lacquer furniture, stands were decorated with patterns which were often drawn from the repertoire of designs destined for embroidered or woven silk textiles of the time; the diaper designs decorating the rectangular tops for instance, look similar to woven brocades dating tot he Kangxi period, decorated with geometric designs enclosing flowerheads, from the Qing Court Collection, illustrated in Theplete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Textiles and Embroideries of the Ming and Qing Dynasties , Hong Kong, 2005, pp.46-47, nos.46-47. pare the openwork fretwork and