Bronze China, 16th / 17th century This lid of this incense box shows a raised outer rim with the letter ‘Wan’ (= Ten thousand) appearing 12 times in the row. In the center, standing out prominently against the granulated background is the Arabic inscription ‘Hamdulillah’ which translates to ‘Praise be to Allah’. The exterior on both, the lid and the base, show chased decoration of either Buddhist symbols or ornamental borders. The box shows dark patination and a perfect shape. The inscription found on the present box is written in Sini script, a Chinese Islamic calligraphic form for the Arabic script which was developed in the early Ming dynasty. It is used extensively in mosques in Eastern China with notable examples found in the mihrab of the Niujue mosque, Beijing. Shape: Cylindrical shape Dimensions: 9 cm (diameter), 4,5 cm (height) Condition: Very good condition with appealing natural patina Provenance: Canadian private collection Literature comparison: See Christie’s, Drawn by the Senses, 26 November 2014, Hong Kong, HKCEC Grand Hall, lot 2912 (for a domed box with the same inscription) and Sotheby’s, IMPORTANT CHINESE ART, 15 MARCH 2017, NEW YORK, lot 560 (for a complete incense set, containing a comparable box). 十六至十七世紀阿拉伯文銅圓香盒 青銅 中國，十六至十七世紀 這個香盒的蓋面開光，開光周圍浮雕12個萬字。開光内於珍珠地上浮雕 阿拉伯文“Hamdulillah”，意思是“讚頌真主”。圓盒的蓋子和底座都可見佛教符號及裝飾邊緣的花紋。盒子包漿深厚沉穩，通體綫條優美。 外箱上的標文是用西尼文字寫成，這是一種中國伊斯蘭書法形式，是從明朝初期阿拉伯文字發展而來。 它在中國東部的清真寺廣泛使用，在北京牛街清真寺的壁龕發現了典型的例子。 圓柱形 尺寸：直徑9 cm，高 4,5 cm 品相極好，包漿古雅 加拿大私人收藏 文獻參考：見佳士得《寓覺於物》，2014年1月26日，香港會展中心，2912號拍品（一件有著相同阿文的圓蓋香盒）與蘇富比《重要中國藝術》，2017年3月5日，紐約，560號拍品（一套完整香薰器系列，包含一個相似盒子）