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Incense Burner in the Form of a Duck

Porcelain sculpture with pale-blue glaze, shape of a duck atop a lotus flower.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • Porcelain sculpture with pale-blue glaze, shape of a duck atop a lotus flower.

Date:

Song dynasty (960–1279), 12th century

Artist:

China

About this artwork

In its subtle elegance, this incense burner reflects the refined sensibility of Song dynasty China’s cultural elite—members of the imperial court as well as newly affluent and well-educated classes of merchants and government officials. The basin of this incense burner, elevated on a lobed foot, contains an artichokelike lotus that opens into two tiers of small, pointed petals and supports a delicately carved waterfowl. Fragrant smoke would have wafted gently from the bird’s mouth and from two holes perforated between its feet. As Song poets and painters praised incense for its efficacy in dissipating gloom and stimulating artistic creativity, connoisseurs treasured its accoutrements as luxurious domestic furnishings. Pieces displaying the extraordinary quality of this incense burner are attributed to the kilns at Jingdezhen in southeastern Jiangxi province, which later became China’s preeminent center for ceramic production.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Arts of Asia

Title

Incense Burner in the Form of a Duck

Place

China (Artist's nationality:)

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.

1100–1200

Medium

Qingbai ware; porcelain with underglaze molded and carved decoration

Dimensions

H. 19.1 (7 1/2 in.) diam. 15.1 cm (6 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of Russell Tyson

Reference Number

1941.963

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/43060/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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