Antique Gilt bronze censer. Great gilt bronze ceremonial dragon censer. The body has wider flanged opening supported by an ovoid body. Thick potted, globular body, shrink on the neck, to wide flaring a circular opening, raised on shallow cornered like elephant leg. The main body carved by a gilt phoenixes flying among flaming pearl and auspicious pattern. The phoenix is such an important bird in Chinese symbolism that we have a separate section dedicated to it; it is put in the same section as dragons as the phoenix and dragon are paired, the dragon represents the Emperor and yang; the phoenix the Empress and yin. To use the name ‘phoenix’ is a bit misleading as there is no legend in China about reincarnation from ashes as there is about the Egyptian mythical bird . In China it was a god of the winds. The vermillion (red) phoenix represents the most important of directions - south. In symbolism the dragon and phoenix together represent a married couple. The phoenix alone is a symbol of joy and peace, it heralds the coming of auspicious days just like the qilin. The vessel has mottled green hues and a tinge of grayish-brown patina. Bronze is in gorgeous condition with minimal marring of the surface. The bronze is bright and lustrous as the light is easily reflected from the well-polished surfaces. The plaques split in the middle section, and fitted perfectly upon each other. There is a light grey patina noted in several creases. The bronze is very fine, with a brilliant glaze finish that was applied by a meticulous, the shape is uniformly proportioned.


Measurements: Height 5.5" Width: 5.5"

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.