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Incense Burner (Xianglu)

A work made of gray earthenware with polychrome painting and openwork decoration.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of gray earthenware with polychrome painting and openwork decoration.

Date:

Western Han dynasty, 206 BCE–9 CE

Artist:

China
probably from Hunan province

About this artwork

This incense burner has a stemmed cup and a domed, openwork cover pierced with geometric patterns. Its design is distinctive to ceramics from south-central China that were made during the Western Han dynasty (206BCE–9 CE). It was probably modeled on a bronze incense burner cast with a perforated lid for the release of fragrant smoke. Other common forms from the Han dynasty are in the case to the right.

Status

On View, Gallery 133

Department

Arts of Asia

Title

Incense Burner (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

Gray earthenware with polychrome painting and openwork decoration

Dimensions

14.3 × 14.4 cm (5 5/8 × 5 11/16 in.); Diam.: 14.4 cm (5 11/16 in.)

Credit Line

Bequest of Russell Tyson

Reference Number

1964.728a-b

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.

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https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/21397/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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