Incense boxes and burners

From the Minneapolis Institute of Art record

This finely crafted incense box exemplifies both technical ingenuity and rich symbolic ornament. Its design centers on an inverted U-shaped carrying handle joined to a base, enclosing a hollow rectangular frame. Within this frame, four small drawer-like containers are stacked beneath a rectangular, hopper-shaped incense burner with an open top. A slender metal rod is inserted through one end of the handle and passes through the lid of the upper container, securely locking all components into a single portable unit. The surfaces are elaborately worked in repoussé and openwork. Along the upper frame appear the 12 zodiac animals, embedding the object within a cyclical vision of time. Elsewhere, dragons, animals, and flowering plants emerge from a dense, forest-like pierced ground, their raised forms accentuated with gilding. Intended for a literati’s desk, the incense box evokes movement, vitality, and the rhythmic order of the zodiac. China, Asia