Mountain-Shaped Incense Burner

Art Institute of Chicago

Mountain-Shaped Incense Burner

China, probably Guangdong or Guangxi provinceLinkedCulture matchlcp-93062c7ad587

Date
Western Han dynasty, 206 BCE–9 CE
Medium
Brick-red earthenware with green lead glaze
Culture
China
Department
Arts of Asia
Institution
Art Institute of Chicago
Object ID
12069

From the Art Institute of Chicago record

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.

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Provenance & credit

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Credit line
Lucy Maud Buckingham Collection

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Object type
AAT300312158

Part of a LinkedCulture topic

  • Representative object from the topic Incense Burners Across Cultures
    Incense Burners Across Cultures

    These objects are all incense burners or censers used for burning fragrant materials in religious, ceremonial, or domestic contexts across Chinese, Coptic, and European cultures spanning multiple dynasties and periods.

    56 objects from 3 institutions

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