Censer; China, late 19th century.

Censer; China, late 19th century.
Silver plated metal.
Presents apocryphal mark.
Measurements: 30 x 18 x 12 cm.
Silver plated metal censer with three zoomorphic legs representing three elephant heads. The body has a design in relief with two lions. The handles, also zoomorphic, represent elephant heads. Finally, the lid shows an openwork design topped by a figurative upper knob in the shape of a dragon.
The censers were valued as pieces linked to rituals, and therefore for the exclusive use of the ruling class or as funerary offerings. The bronze vessels were mainly used in sacrifices to the ancestors, and also as a means of communication between heaven and earth, as well as in ceremonial banquets (propitiatory rites).