Minneapolis Institute of Art

Incense burner, from a five-piece Buddhist altar set

Japan

Date

18th century

Medium

Bronze

Department

Asian Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

In East Asia, Buddhists place incense, flowers, and light (candles) before holy images as an expression of homage and to increase the magnificence of the worship hall. Incense is believed to purify the space, flowers constitute an offering or gift to the diety, and light symbolically illuminates the darkness of ignorance. Altar sets consisting of flower vases, candleholders, and incense burners were first brought to Japan by traveling priests in the 1200s. By the 1300s, the Japanese were casting their own versions, which were more subdued than their Chinese prototypes and often featured birds and flowers of the four seasons cast in high relief. Miniature altar sets, such as this one, were used in formal reception halls when the painting on display in the alcove represented a Buddhist diety.

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