Silver Inlay Bronze Censer Shisou (石叟) Marked. Extensively inlaid with archaic style characters. China - 18th - 19th century No major issues detected. Old aperture to one of tripod legs. Shisou (石叟) (~1628 / ~1644) was born and lived during the Chongzhen reign period (崇禎年) of the late Ming Dynasty. A Buddhist monk from China Fuzhou, Fujian province; known for his skill in smelting and craftsmanship in sculpture works of art. At the time, Shisou was a renowned bronze sculpture artist (銅塑第一名手) among aristocrats with his finest works displaying a degree of naturalness and simplicity. There is no historical literature detailing the further background or accounts of Shisou, his existence remains a mystery; scholars and collectors can only reference Shisou as a Buddhist monk from Fuzhou and a renowned bronze sculpture artist. Shisou's unique styling and craftsmanship ended with his death, with no heirs to carry on his work. His finest works signify the lost art of sculpturing in Chinese Works of Art, as it is both rare and precious due to their exceptional fine details and the premium quality of bronze being used. Only a finite number of Shisou works are displayed in prominent museums, which include the Palace Museum Beijing and the British Museum. The British Museum has acclaimed Shisou as “China’s Greatest Artist” (中國最偉大的藝術家). Beautiful time honed patina. 1. Auction result comparison: Auction: Christie’s Hong Kong, 6 October 2015, lot 171 Price: HKD 62,500 or approx. EUR 9,200 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Description: A silver-inlaid bronze tripod censer, late Ming-early Qing. 2. Auction result comparison: Auction: Christie’s Hong Kong, 12 April 2018, lot 36 Price: HKD 62,500 or approx. EUR 8,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Description: A small silver-inlaid bronze tripod censer, Qing dynasty, 18th-19th century. DISCLAIMER We do our best to disclose anything that will impact value and / or desirability. Ages and descriptions stated are our opinions based on over 30 years experience in selling antiques. All items are sold "as is". You the buyer are ultimately responsible for agreeing or disagreeing with our opinions BEFORE placing a bid. All import fees are buyer’s responsibility. Do your homework first to figure out what they will be in your area. China buyers please note: China has stricter rules and regulations for incoming packages. To our current knowledge, the shipped item cannot be described as “artwork”. Additionally, we’ve been advised the written value of the package cannot exceed US$125. Therefore, shipping to China will be with this understanding and is 100% at your risk and responsibility should you decide to proceed. If this doesn't appeal to you, please do not bid on this lot. Even with super careful packing efforts, the risk of damage or breakage cannot be reduced to zero. Shipping is with this in mind. Once the package has been lodged with the postal authorities, control and responsibility over said package rests with them. A tracking number will be provided with the package which can be checked via the Taiwan computer database in English and/or Chinese and your own country database. Please follow up and track accordingly. Any return charges or fees incurred for refusing the package, or not paying required import fees/tax wherein the package is returned to seller, are the buyer's responsibility. Please contact me if something is not clear or you need help with the package. We can work anything out together.