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Mountain-Shaped Incense Burner (Boshan Xianglu)

A work made of brick-red earthenware with green lead glaze.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of brick-red earthenware with green lead glaze.

Date:

Western Han dynasty (206 B.C.–A.D. 9)

Artist:

China, probably Guangdong or Guangxi province

About this artwork

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.

Status

On View, Gallery 133

Department

Arts of Asia

Title

Mountain-Shaped Incense Burner (Boshan Xianglu)

Place

China (Object made in)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

206 BCE–9 CE

Medium

Brick-red earthenware with green lead glaze

Dimensions

22.6 × 17.5 cm (8 7/8 × 6 7/8 in.); Diam.: 17.5 cm (6 7/8 in.)

Credit Line

Lucy Maud Buckingham Collection

Reference Number

1924.239

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/12069/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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