Catalogue No.: 304

Diameter 19.5cm, Height 14.5cm

Reference: Hangzhou Museum '敕賜雲林禪寺羅漢殿' mark blue and white vase-shaped censer

Starting Bid: RMB 200,000

The censer features a four-clawed double-dragon design, three short feet, a constricted waist, and two bands of soy-sauce glaze on the top and bottom, typical of the early Qing Dynasty.
typical style. The inscription in the center, from right to left, reads: "Respectfully offered in the 7th year of Qianlong, imperial bestowal to Yunlin Chan Temple
Arhat Hall, made by Guangling Jingshu Tang." Upon reviewing known public and private hall names from the Qing Dynasty, "Jingshu Tang" was not found.
Tang", indicating that this hall name was not commonly used, suggesting that its owner had a close relationship with the Qianlong Emperor.
relationship. Examining the characters "敕" (chì, imperial edict) and "賜" (cì, bestow) in the inscription, all dictionaries and historical records show that these two characters were exclusively used by the emperor.
locations, are exclusive imperial terms. In the seventh year of Qianlong (1742 CE), a massive flood occurred in the Huai River basin. According to the book "Qing Palace
Yangzhou Imperial Archives", over a hundred memorials from the seventh year of Qianlong were collected, nearly 50 of which involved the major flood and disaster relief efforts that year.
content related to the major flood and disaster relief that occurred that year.
The wealthy Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, located in the lower reaches of the Huai River, were important sources of imperial treasury revenue, so Emperor Qianlong
would undoubtedly value them. Therefore, this censer should have been custom-ordered by the master of "Guangling Jingshu Tang" under Qianlong's imperial decree, and then
bestowed upon the Hall of Five Hundred Arhats at Lingyin Temple in Hangzhou for veneration, to pray for favorable weather and peace and prosperity for the nation. Above the "Qianlong" inscription on the censer body, "Xianfeng" was later carved, indicating that this censer left the temple during the Xianfeng reign.
During the Xianfeng reign, Li Xiucheng, the Loyal King of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, attacked Hangzhou twice, especially the second time,
historical records state that not a blade of grass was left, and many historical landmarks were destroyed, including "Wenlange Pavilion of Shengyin Temple," one of Hangzhou's seven famous
libraries, and its important collection, "Siku Quanshu" (Complete Library of the Four Branches of Literature), was consequently scattered
among the populace. Lingyin Temple, as an imperial temple, naturally could not escape the disaster.
After this censer left Lingyin Temple, for a period it was protected by a monk named "Master Yunhong."
To prevent its destruction, "Master Yunhong" was carved above "Yunlin Chan Temple," and the intaglio inscription
was coated with a dark substance to conceal the censer's true identity as belonging to "Yunlin Chan Temple."
Subsequently, over centuries of circulation, it reached the "Destroy the Four Olds" era after liberation. To avoid misfortune,
a well-meaning person unfamiliar with porcelain craftsmanship tried to sand and rub off the inscription. Seeing it couldn't be removed, they
stuck old adhesive tape, typical of the 1960s and 70s, over the inscription. This is also why the glaze surface where the censer's inscription is located now
shows obvious abrasion marks and yellowing.
This censer can be compared to an identical one, restored from dozens of fragments, unearthed from the archaeological site behind Lingfeng Temple in Hangzhou's West Lake District a few years ago.
This censer can be compared to an identical one, restored from dozens of fragments, unearthed from the archaeological site behind Lingfeng Temple in Hangzhou's West Lake District a few years ago, now housed in the Hangzhou Museum.
Based on the inscription and related historical evidence, this censer is an imperial gift, custom-made for a specific purpose.
This is the only known intact example surviving in the world, and it is an important historical and cultural relic reflecting Hangzhou and Lingyin Temple, one of the top ten famous temples in the country.
of great value. Reference: Hangzhou Museum "Imperial Bestowal to Yunlin Chan Temple Arhat Hall" mark blue and white zun-shaped censer.