Date: late 19th century
Geography: China
Culture: Han people
Dimensions: 9cm H x 20cm L x 8cm D.
Weight 806g
Material: Bronze
Condition is good for its age see photosLate 19th-century Chinese bronze censer, dating to China's Qing Dynasty around 1890. The piece is well-cast and heavy. Censers were used for burning incense in homes, temples, and ancestor halls. Bronze casting was a highly respected art, often commissioned by wealthy families or used in ritual settings. Pieces from this period frequently display complex, symbolic decoration, drawing heavily on mythology and nature.
It stands on four highly stylised legs fashioned as mythical phoenix birds, which rotate side to side. The handles are also shaped as mythical phoenix birds with outstretched wings and large tail feathers, the phoenix or fenghuang, represents a combination of high virtue, grace, and good fortune. The main body features a central decorative panel on each side depicting deities floating on clouds, a common symbolic representation of transcendence and the heavens in Chinese art.
Date: late 19th century
Geography: China
Culture: Han people
Dimensions: 9cm H x 20cm L x 8cm D.
Weight 806g
Material: Bronze
Condition is good for its age see photosLate 19th-century Chinese bronze censer, dating to China's Qing Dynasty around 1890. The piece is well-cast and heavy. Censers were used for burning incense in homes, temples, and ancestor halls. Bronze casting was a highly respected art, often commissioned by wealthy families or used in ritual settings. Pieces from this period frequently display complex, symbolic decoration, drawing heavily on mythology and nature.
It stands on four highly stylised legs fashioned as mythical phoenix birds, which rotate side to side. The handles are also shaped as mythical phoenix birds with outstretched wings and large tail feathers, the phoenix or fenghuang, represents a combination of high virtue, grace, and good fortune. The main body features a central decorative panel on each side depicting deities floating on clouds, a common symbolic representation of transcendence and the heavens in Chinese art.
