宣德炉，是由明宣宗朱瞻基在大明宣德三年参与设计监造的铜香炉，简称“宣炉”。它是中国历史上第一次运用风磨铜铸成的铜器。为了制作出精品的铜炉，在朱瞻基的亲自督促下，整个制作过程，包括炼铜、造型必须自《宣和博古图》《考古图》等典籍及内府密藏的数百件宋元名窑中，精选出符合适用对象、款制大雅的形制，将之绘成图样，再呈给其亲览，并说明图款的来源和典故的出处，经过筛选确定后，再铸成实物样品让其过目，满意后方准开铸。
Xuande furnace is a bronze incense burner made by Ming xuanzong in the three years of Ming xuande's participation in design and supervision. It is the first time in the history of China to use the bronze ware made of wind mill. In order to produce high-quality goods of copper furnace, Zhu Zhanji urged by himself, the whole production process, including copper, modelling must from broadcasting the information rich ancient figure, the archaeological figure such as books and nei secret of hundreds of ancient jun in the song dynasty and yuan dynasty, selects conforms to the applicable objects, the section shape of jedaiah, drawing it into pattern, to its close browser, and to explain the source of the figure type and the origin of allusions, after screening to determine moulds samples let it look again, satisfied with the rear open casting.

 
历史价值
Historical value

 
大明宣德炉是明代工艺品中的珍品，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。
The Ming xuande furnace is the treasure of the Ming dynasty handicraft, the casting of xuande furnace was successful, and the bronze furnace was opened in the first place. In a long history, xuande furnace became the general name of the copper censer.

 
为了牟取暴利，从明代宣德年间到民国时期，古玩商仿制宣德炉活动从未间断。就在宣德炉停止制造后，部分主管“司铸之事”的官员，召集原来铸炉工匠，依照宣德炉的图纸和工艺程序进行仿造。这些经过精心铸造的仿品可与真品媲美，专家权威也无法辨别，至今国内各大博物馆内收藏的许许多多宣德炉，没有一件能被众多鉴定家公认为是真正的宣德炉。鉴别真假宣德炉已成为中国考古学中的“悬案”之一。
For the sake of profiteering, from the period of the Ming dynasty to the republic of China, the imitated xuande furnace activity was never interrupted. After the xuande furnace stopped manufacturing, some of the officials in charge of "the affairs of the company" assembled the original casting artisans, which were imitated according to the drawings and process procedures of xuande furnace. These carefully cast replicas can be comparable to the real thing, experts cannot discern, up to now the domestic each big museum collection of many jintong furnace, no one can is considered by many appraisal pubic as real jintong furnace. The identification of the fake xuande furnace has become one of the "outstanding cases" in Chinese archaeology.

 
上述原因，使刻有宣德款识的铜香炉，在国际艺术品市场上价格极低廉，远远比不上其它造型的中国古代青铜器价格。
For the above reasons, the bronze incense burner with xuande's knowledge is very cheap in the international art market, which is far less than other models of ancient Chinese bronzes.

 
品鉴辨识
Tasting identification

 
不同时期的宣德炉在精度和质量上都有不同侧重点。明炉重韵味，不管是整体或者细部的设计，都耐人寻味。明末清初的炉有拙朴的厚重感。雍正时期的炉线条柔和，而乾隆时的精炉工艺水平达到历史最高点。值得注意的是，宣德炉底款的“德”字心上没有一横，当时有“省一德”之称，经多方查证，也有不省一横的。
Different periods of xuande furnace have different emphasis on precision and quality. Ming furnace heavy flavor, whether the whole or detailed design, it is intriguing. The furnace in the late Ming dynasty and early qing dynasty had a humble feeling. During the yongzheng period, the furnace line was soft and the craft level of the qianlong was at an all-time high. It is worth noting that the "DE" character of the xuande furnace is not a horizontal one, which was called "the provincial one", and it has been checked and verified by many parties.

 
包浆色泽
Patina color

 
真品包浆温润，宝气内蕴，长时间不变。伪品包浆枯槁，有的象油漆，越放久越难看。旧说有五色，分别为佛经纸，栗壳，茄皮，棠梨，褐色，其中以佛经纸色为第一。上海朵云轩95年拍品中有一铜炉(高19.2厘米)，其色泽就能达到佛经纸色。此外，一些使用了特种工艺制造的洒金、错金铜炉，其价值要比一般的铜炉高数倍。
The real products are warm and moist, and long time invariant. The counterfeit bag is withered and withered, some like paint, the more it is unsightly. In the past, there are five colors, respectively buddhist sutra paper, chestnut shell, eggplant, pear, and brown, which are the first in the paper. There is a copper furnace (19.2 cm high) in the 95 years of the Shanghai cloud, which can achieve the color of the paper. In addition, some use special process to make the gold, the wrong gold copper furnace, its value is several times higher than the average copper furnace.

 
磨损款识
Wear inscription

 
真品有自然均匀的磨损，特别是在足底。伪品无磨损或人为打磨。
Genuine products have a natural uniform wear, especially in the foot. Fake goods are not worn or polished.

 
款铸得越
New cast the more

 
宣德炉精越奇就越能帮助断代，而铜炉的价值也越高。宣德炉在明、清以及民国均有铸造，但如何判定年代的早晚呢？从整体造型上来说，明代铜炉的整体风格是雅致、浑厚。
The more the xuande boiler can help the broken generation, the higher the value of the copper furnace. Xuande furnace is cast in Ming, qing and republic of China, but how to determine the time of day? From the overall modelling, the overall style of the Ming dynasty copper furnace is refined and thick.

 
发展到明末清初和清早期，铜炉依然浑厚，但不及早先的雅致。时至18世纪，风格开始趋向纤弱，在造型和装饰上力求变化，有的也雅致，但总体上浑厚不足。下两图是笔者藏品，原伦敦佳士得拍品，31.8厘米高，乾隆款和乾隆时期，纹饰较繁复，珊瑚镶嵌完整无缺漏。
In the late Ming and early qing dynasties, the copper furnace was still thick, but not as elegant as it had been earlier. Until the 18th century, style began to be delicate, in shape and decoration to change, some also refined, but generally not enough. The next two pictures are the author's collection, the original auction of Christie's in London, 31.8 cm high, the qianlong and qianlong period, the decoration is more complicated, the coral is inlaid intact.

 
19世纪及以后，铜炉铸造的质量每况愈下，无论是包浆纹饰造型都比前期的差。值得一提的是带有“石叟”款的铜炉。对这类铜器的考证专家有不同意见：英铜器专家Rose Kerr在她的《中国晚期铜器》书中提出“石叟”是始于明代后期的一江南作坊的“商标”(Rose Kerr, Later Chinese Bronzes [Victoria & Albert Museum, London, 1990])；另一专家Paul Moss不同意，他在《第二青铜时代》一书中认为明后期的专铸“石叟”款铜器的作坊不存在，“石叟”是传说中擅长作银镶嵌铜器的一僧侣的别号。他认为带“石叟”款的铜器是19世纪的作品。下图带“石叟”款的银线镶嵌的铜炉，一说是17世纪，一说是19世纪。
In the 19th century and beyond, the quality of copper furnace casting went from bad to worse. It is worth mentioning that the copper furnace with "shi-sou" is worth mentioning. For this type of bronze textual research experts have different opinions: the copper Rose Kerr in her late bronze of the People's Republic of China "stone barbary" is put forward in the book began in late Ming dynasty's a jiangnan workshop "brand" (Rose Kerr, Later Chinese Bronzes [Victoria & Albert Museum, London, 1990]). Another expert Paul Moss does not agree, in his book "the Bronze Age", thought in the late Ming designed cast bronze "stone barbary" paragraph workshop does not exist, "stone barbary" is a legend at making silver inlaid copper fitting the monks. He thought that the bronze ware of "shisou" was a 19th century work. The copper furnace with the silver line of "shisou" in the picture below is the 17th century, the 19th century.