Chinese Blue and White Ming Dynasty Censer

• Ming Dynasty - The Ming Dynasty was a ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644. It succeeded the Yuan Dynasty and preceded the Qing Dynasty. The Ming Dynasty was established by Zhu Yuanzhang, a former Buddhist monk who became a rebel leader and eventually overthrew the Mongol Yuan Dynasty. During the Ming Dynasty, China experienced a period of relative stability and prosperity. The government was centralized and bureaucratic, with the emperor at the top of the hierarchy. The Ming Dynasty is known for its cultural achievements, including the development of porcelain, the invention of movable type printing, and the construction of the Great Wall of China.
  
  

• Lion Mask - The lion mask has been used for centuries in various forms of art and design, including furniture, silver, and ceramics, and is usually y depicted as a stylized representation of the face of a lion, often with an open mouth and protruding tongue. and is often used as a handle, knob, or other decorative element.
  
  In furniture design, lion masks were popular in the neoclassical and Empire styles of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. They were often used as decorative elements on the legs or arms of chairs, as well as on cabinet and drawer pulls. It was also used as a handle, knob, or other decorative element.
  
  In silverware design, lion masks were often applied to tea and coffee pots, as well as on candlesticks, snuff boxes, and other small silver items. The lion mask was often used in combination with other neoclassical motifs, such as laurel wreaths or acanthus leaves, to create a sense of grandeur and classical elegance.
  
  In ceramics, lion masks were often depicted in relief, and were sometimes used in combination with other decorative elements, such as garlands or swags.
  
  

• Jiajing Mark - The Jiajing mark on Chinese porcelain refers to the reign mark of the Jiajing Emperor (r. 1521-1567) of the Ming Dynasty in China. The mark usually appears as six characters in underglaze blue on the base of the porcelain object and indicates that the object was made during the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty.
  
  The Jiajing reign was a time of great artistic production and experimentation in China, particularly in the field of porcelain. The Jiajing Emperor was a patron of the arts and his reign saw the development of new decorative techniques and styles, including the use of underglaze blue decoration, which became a hallmark of Ming Dynasty porcelain.
  
  It should be noted that not all porcelain objects with a Jiajing mark are necessarily from the Jiajing period, as the mark has been copied and imitated by later generations of potters.

This item has been included into following indexes:

• Chinese antiquities by dynasty - Ming Dynasty 1,230
• Chinese ceramics, decoration - blue and white, other 760
• Chinese ceramics, dynasty mark or period - Wanli mark 117
• Chinese ceramics, item type - figurines 1,570
• oriental censers - censers / incense burners, ceramic and other 284