大明宣德三足兽耳香炉（宣德年制双兽耳香炉）
大明宣德三足兽耳香炉（宣德年制双兽耳香炉）
铜香炉是铜做的焚香器具，（西关铜艺）是历史悠久的传统工艺品。铜香炉虽然质地相同但是不同时代的能工巧匠们却把他们做成了作成种种形式。铜香炉用途亦有多种：熏衣铜香炉﹑陈设铜香炉﹑敬神供佛铜香炉。铜香炉中最知名的是明朝制造的宣德炉。熏香的历史在中国由来已久，汉代著名的博山炉就是人们为熏香而设计的。熏香炉也叫香薰或者香炉，最初采用青铜为材料，汉代的博山炉就是青铜制成的。
其实，熏香并不完全是古代文人生活中的点缀，它还有熏香衣物、消除疲劳以及驱散蚊虫等作用。汉代以后，香炉的材质逐渐丰富起来。宋代出现了瓷制的博山炉，但是它禁不住香粉的烧烤，很快就变成了文人的把玩之物。诸如此类，以后出现的玉质香炉、翡翠香炉等等，也都是一种用来陈设或者把玩的观赏品。与实用器相比，陈设器的价值也许更高。明代宣德皇帝在位时，为满足玩赏香炉的嗜好，责成宫廷御匠参照皇府内藏的定、汝、官、哥、均等名窑瓷器的款式，以及《宣和博古图录》、《考古图》等史籍，设计和监制香炉。
为保证香炉的质量，工艺师挑选了金、银等几十种贵重金属，与红铜一起经过十多次的精心铸炼，成品后的铜香炉色泽晶莹而温润，宣德炉的铸造成功，开了后世铜炉的先河，在很长一段历史中，宣德炉成为铜香炉的通称。宣德三年利用这批红铜开炉共铸造出了三千座香炉，以后再也没有出品，这些宣德炉都深藏禁宫之内，普通百姓只能知其名而未见其形。经过数百年的风风雨雨，真正宣德三年铸造的铜香炉极为罕见。宣德炉散发出古色神韵，包浆温润，色泽诱人。切边线条处理流畅，光亮典雅，圆润醇厚，代表了明代造炉技术的最高水平。此香薰炉铜质精良，器型、纹饰奇特，形象生动，兽耳、狮钮雕刻得栩栩如生。底部落“大明宣德年制”款识。錾镂精细，厚重大方。炉身打磨光洁，包浆温润，工艺繁复精细，具有很大的增值空间。
Copper incense burner is a incense burning appliance made of copper (Xiguan copper art) is a traditional handicraft with a long history. Although the copper censers have the same texture craftsmen of different times have made them into various forms. Copper incense burners are also used for many purposes: smoking copper incense burners furnishing copper incense burners and worship copper incense burners for Buddha. The most famous copper incense burner is Xuande stove made in the Ming Dynasty. Incense has a long history in China. The famous Boshan stove in the Han Dynasty was designed for incense. Incense burner also known as incense burner or incense burner was originally made of bronze. Boshan stove in Han Dynasty was made of bronze. In fact incense is not entirely an ornament in the life of ancient literati. It also has the functions of incense clothing eliminating fatigue and dispersing mosquitoes. After the Han Dynasty the materials of incense burners were gradually enriched. Boshan stove made of porcelain appeared in the Song Dynasty but it could not help the barbecue of fragrant powder and soon became a plaything for scholars. Like this jade censers jade censers and so on which appeared later are also ornaments for display or play. The value of furnishings may be higher than that of practical ones. During the reign of emperor Xuande of the Ming Dynasty in order to satisfy his hobby of enjoying incense burners the court craftsman was instructed to design and supervise incense burners with reference to the styles of porcelain from Ding Ru Guan GE and Ping famous kilns stored in the Imperial Palace as well as historical books such as Xuanhe Bogu atlas and archaeological map. In order to ensure the quality of the censer the craftsman selected dozens of precious metals such as gold and silver and carefully cast them together with red copper for more than ten times. The copper censer after the finished product has a crystal clear and warm color. The successful casting of Xuande furnace has opened the precedent of later copper furnaces. In a long history Xuande furnace has become the general name of copper censer. In the third year of Xuande's reign a total of 3000 incense burners were cast with this batch of red copper. They were never produced again. These Xuande furnaces were hidden in the Forbidden Palace and ordinary people could only know their names but not their shapes. After hundreds of years of ups and downs the copper incense burner cast in the third year of Xuande is extremely rare. Xuande stove exudes ancient charm with warm pulp and attractive color. The cutting lines are smooth bright elegant round and mellow representing the highest level of furnace making technology in the Ming Dynasty. This aromatherapy stove is made of fine copper with peculiar shapes and patterns vivid images and lifelike carving of animal ears and lion buttons. At the end of the tribe "Ming Xuande year system" recognition. The chisel is fine thick and generous. The furnace body is polished and smooth the coating is warm and moist and the process is complex and exquisite which is worth collecting.
