Chinese Qing Dynasty Qianlong Emperor Reign period, Antique Douqing celadon lidded porcelain censer. Thick potted, of a deep vessel, steep round sides to flat wide opening rim, numerous ring flanked on the main body, raised on slightly concave footed base, dome lidded crowned with a simple bud finial. Decorated in Douqing hand painting, all reserved in pale-turquoise- pale green celadon underglaze ground, the green glaze creates a mottled effect around the rim which is likened unto the blushing of human pale white skin. The immaculate porcelain body covered with a characteristic silky glaze, amazing crackling effect throughout the underglaze which produces fantastic a smooth textured surface. This inadvertently gave texture, energy, and shading to the design. The porcelain conformed all required specimen to be high valued Chinese porcelain wares, with finest material, the whiteness, the glaze, the carving, and the shape. Without overlap the outlines of the design, well carved, clear, subtle, and distinct. This piece displays a subtle sheen as the light ricochets across the finely exterior, glazed smooth, brilliant with a moist appearance, the finishing meticulous.The Under-base bears reign mark, a six underglaze blue seal script characters reign mark, Made In The Years of Qianlong Reign Period of The Great Qing Dynasty.Measurements: Height 3-3/4" Dia: 5-1/4"PROVENANCE:From the estate of Harold & Mousser, of York, Pennsylvania, an entrepeneurs, private collections, acquired pre-1970's from Fluhrer's Galleries, York, PA. The Collections of Harold & Mousser presented and offered up to auctions from Lot-81 through Lot-121.Lot Notes:The history of censers in Chinese culture probably began in the late Eastern Zhou Dynasty (770–256 BCE). The Chinese words meaning "censer" are compounds of lu ("brazier; stove; furnace"), which originated as a type of Chinese bronze. Xianglu (with "incense") "incense burner; censer" is the most common term. Xunlu (with "smoke; fumigate; cure (food) with smoke", with "fragrance; an aromatic grass") means "small censer. Shoulu (with "hand") means "hand-held censer; handwarmer". The boshanlu ("universal mountain censer" or boshan Xianglu) or hill censer, which became popular during the era of Emperor Wu of Han (r. 141–87 BCE), displayed a microcosmic sacred mountain (esp. Mount Kunlun or Mount Penglai). These elaborate censers were designed with apertures that made rising incense smoke appear like clouds or mist swirling around a mountain peak The Han Dynasty scholar Liu Xiang wrote a (c. 40 BCE) boshanlu inscription. I value this perfect utensil, lofty and steep as a mountain! Its top is like Hua Shan in yet its foot is a bronze plate. It contains rare perfumes, red flames and green smoke; densely ornamented are its sides, and its summit joins azure heaven. A myriad animals are depicted on it. Ah, from it sides I can see ever further than Li Lou, Archeologists excavated many (c. second century BCE) boshanlu at Mawangdui, and some contained the remains of ashes. Analysis revealed aromatic plants such as maoxiang ("Imperata cylindrical, thatch grass"), gaoliangjiang ("Galangal"), xinyi ("Magnolia Lili flora, Mulan magnolia), and gaoben ("Ligusticum sinense, Chinese lovage"). Scholars presume burning these grasses "may have facilitated communication with spirits" during funeral ceremonies. Thus all in all there is much reason for thinking that the ancient Taoists experimented systematically with hallucinogenic smokes, using techniques which arose directly out of liturgical observance. … At all events the incense-burner remained the center of changes and transformations associated with worship, sacrifice, ascending perfume of sweet savor, fire, combustion, disintegration, transformation, vision, communication with spiritual beings, and assurances of immortality. Wai tan and nei tan met around the incense-burner. Might one not indeed think of it as their point of origin? These Waidan ("outer alchemy") and neidan ("inner alchemy") are the primary divisions of Chinese alchemy.