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Mountain-Shaped Incense Burner
China, probably Guangdong or Guangxi province
Western Han dynasty, 206 BCE–9 CE
- Medium
- Brick-red earthenware with green lead glaze
- Classification
- Religious/Ritual Object
- Dimensions
- 22.6 × 17.5 cm (8 7/8 × 6 7/8 in.); Diam.: 17.5 cm (6 7/8 in.)
- Culture
- China
- Museum
- Art Institute of Chicago, Arts of Asia
- Credit line
- Lucy Maud Buckingham Collection
- Rights
- Public domain (CC0), as the museum states it.
- Who can see it
- Tweens profiles and older: its subjects are known and suit older children. How works are placed
View at the Art Institute of Chicago
About this work
Often referred to as “boshan lu,” or hill censer, this incense burner features a conical cover shaped like miniaturized peaks, evoking the mountainous isles where the immortals reside. When incense is burnt in the step cup, fragrant smoke emanates from the openwork on the cover, animating the sacred mountains and transporting the beholder into a realm of transcendence. Covered with a green lead glaze, this pottery incense burner mimics similar objects that are commonly made in bronze. The clay material suggests that the object might have been specifically made for a funerary context.
Description © Art Institute of Chicago, CC BY 4.0
