Chinese Incense Burner, ca. 1900

Decorative Chinese Bronze Incense Burner with Dragon Reliefs. Circa 1900, Mark on the Base.

An attractive Chinese incense burner crafted from carved bronze, featuring understated beauty and highly decorative details. This piece is a vessel that was used to burn incense inside and fill rooms with its fragrance. The incense burner is made of polished bronze and embellished with hand-crafted decoration depicting a series of sinuous dragons, with serpentine bodies and pleasant, bearded, smiling faces. The dragons adorn virtually the entire surface, and the base features only a subtle engraved design of concentric curved lines, undoubtedly intended to simulate a cloudy sky while also conveying a sense of movement.

As mentioned, the dragons are rendered in deep relief and are very dynamic and lifelike. Their faces and movement seem to bring them to life, and they also display claws with five fingers; five-fingered dragons are a symbol of good fortune in Chinese tradition. While the exterior is profusely decorated, the same cannot be said of the spacious, domed interior, which has smooth walls. The incense burner is generally in good condition, displaying a perfectly round silhouette with no significant dents. The base and rim of the piece each feature smooth rings, which elevate and streamline the overall design.

Turning the incense burner over reveals a square-shaped mark engraved on the base. This is a beautiful bronze incense burner.

Dimensions: Width: 190 mm. Height: 60 mm.