A GOLD-SPLASHED BRONZE ARABIC-INSCRIBED INCENSE BURNER18th centuryThe slightlypressed globular body raised on three cabriole feet, the exterior with two recessed medallions, each cast with an Arabic inscription, the exterior decorated overall with gold splashes.23cm (9in) wideProvenance: 十八世紀 銅灑金阿拉伯文獸耳三足爐Bronze censers decorated with Arabic inscriptions came to influence the making of a distinctive group of heavily potted blue and white porcelains since the Ming dynasty Zhengde period in keeping with the emperor's religious leanings. See a tripod incense burner decorated with blue and white with the handles missing in the British Museum collection, Zhengde mark and period, illustrated inMing Ceramics in the British Museum, London, 2001, p.198, pl.8:II.It is interesting to note that incense burning was also a popular practice among Muslims in their religious ceremonies. See a group of three Arabic-inscribed bronze incense garniture set, Ming dynasty, which was sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 31 May 2017, lot 3176.爐圓口折沿，短束頸，豐肩鼓腹，兩側置獸首銜環作耳，腹底等距立三足，通體呈暗褐色並隱隱顯現金光，表面再施灑金技法，《髹漆錄》有載：「灑金，一名砂金漆，即撒金也。麩片有細粗，擦敷有疏密，罩髹有濃淡。又有斑灑金，其文：雲氣漂霞、遠山、連線等。又有用麩銀者。又有揩光者，光瑩炫目」，形象說明了該技法的特徵。爐腹前後開光內浮雕阿拉伯文字句是為明清兩代所製宣德銅爐中一種特殊的類型，通常是以阿拉伯傳統書法形式在開光中鏨刻《古蘭經》中的讚詞或聖訓，這與重視伊斯蘭教的正德皇帝相關。正德朝瓷器中大量出現有阿拉伯文字的作品，獨樹一幟，見一件大英博物館藏正德款三足爐，雙耳佚失，收錄在《Ming Ceramics in the British Museum》，倫敦，2001年，頁198，圖版8:II。值得注意的是，香亦被用於伊斯蘭教的祭典中，因此帶有阿文的香具也可能具有宗教意義。見一套帶正德年款的阿文爐、瓶、盒三事，2017年5月31日售於香港佳士得，拍品3176。