Censer lid
Category
Brassware
Date
1800 - 1900
Materials
bronze
Measurements
160 mm (H); 90 mm (W); 80 mm (D)
Order this imageCollection
Kedleston Hall, Derbyshire
NT 107339
Summary
Lid for a Chinese incense burner in the shape of Shou Lao (Shou Xing) that sits on a deer which is the body of the censer. Shou Lao is the Daoist Immortal of longevity and is recognisable by his particularly large forehead. He carries a peach wood staff, which is made from the peach of immortality. He sits on a deer which symbolises happiness. 'A brass group of a Taoist Immortal (Pa Hsien) on a stag' (Christie's entry)
Provenance
Purchased in 1986 by the National Heritage Memorial Fund from Francis Curzon, 3rd Viscount Scarsdale (1924-2000). Gifted to the National Trust in 1987 by the National Heritage Memorial Fund.
Marks and inscriptions
remnants of a sticker with Chinese writing under the lid