195. IMPORTANT BRÛLE-PARFUM COUVERT IMPÉRIAL EN BRONZE, DING Marque et époque Qianlong AN IMPERIAL BRONZE TRIPOD CENSER AND COVER, DING Qianlong six-character mark and of the period Heavily cast, raised on three sturdy cabriolet legs, the compressed globular body flanked by a pair of elegantly curved S-shaped handles, the cover a reticulated design of a phoenix and dragon flying amidst swirling clouds, rising to a 'dragon and flaming pearl' finial, the bronze with a lustrous rich brown patina. 35cm (13 3/4in) high (2). 清乾隆 御製銅龍鳳紋朝冠耳三足蓋鼎「大清乾隆年製」款 Provenance: Collection of Max Müller (1867-1960), German consul in Hankow, acquired in China between 1905 and 1912, thence by descent to his daughter Irmgard Müller-Doertenbach (1909-2011), acquired in 1992 from her collection Exhibited: On loan to the Museum of East Asian Art, Berlin, 2001-2004 來源： 德國駐漢口領事Max Müller（1867–1960）珍藏，於1905年至1912年間得自中國，後傳至其女Irmgard Müller-Doertenbach（1909-2011） 現藏家於1992年得自上述來源 展覽： 2001年至2004年間借展於柏林東亞藝術博物館 Sacrificial ceremonies were among the most important rituals of the Qing court, with the emperor attending, if not performing, all of the major rites. Buddhism was the primary religion of the Qing dynasty and there were numerous Buddhist shrines and temples, as well as altars, in the private quarters of the emperors and empresses. All of these necessitated ritual paraphernalia, including altar sets, which were made in various materials including bronze, porcelain and cloisonné enamel of varying size. For a pair of imperial bronze censers with dragon decoration, see Wan Yi, Daily Life in the Forbidden City, New York, 1988, pls.473 and 474, pp.302-303, where they are shown in situ in the shrine in the interior of the rear Hall of the Imperial Ancestral Temple and in the rear part of the Hall of Ancestral Worship. See a similar bronze censer bearing a Qianlong mark, from the collection of Jürgen L. Fischer, Baden-Baden, sold in Koller Zürich, 29 October 2013, lot 179.