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Lid to Bo Shan Lu Censor

Chinese

Artwork Details

Lid to Bo Shan Lu Censor
206 BCE-25 CE
Chinese
ash glaze on stoneware
3 1/4 in x 4 3/4 in x 4 3/4 in (8.25 cm x 12.07 cm x 12.07 cm)
Gift of Mrs. Caroline I. Plumer for the James Marshall Plumer Collection
1973/2.30

Description

Subject Matter:

Cover or lid to a boshan lu (博山炉) (Daoist "mountain of immortality) shaped incense burner. It is similar to examples casted in bronze from the Zhou through Tang dynasties.  Burning incense was a common practice during the Han dynasty to expel evil spirits.  Ceramic incense burners are primarily found in tombs in Henan province and date to the late Western Han dynasty. 

Physical Description:

A cover or lid in the form of a pointed cone, resembling a mountain with a pointed top on a circular base. The sides are carved and incised in striated triangular points, and there are eight triangular shaped peircings around the top.  It is covered in an olive green glaze, and there is loss to side. 

Usage Rights:

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