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Incense Burner (Boshan Lu)

Western Han dynasty (206 BCE–9 CE)
Not on view
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.
This censer is of a type called boshan lu, or those in the shape of the universal mountain. The openwork lid features the cardinal emblems of early Han art: the Blue Dragon in the east, the Red Bird in the south, the White Tiger in the west, and the Dark Warrior in the north, the last of which is generally represented by a turtle entwined with a snake but here is embodied by a camel. The camel reflects Han contact with its nomadic neighbors. Similarly, the scene of animal combat and the man leading a cart on the lid’s upper register recall motifs on plaques excavated in the Ordos region, at the northwestern frontier of the empire.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • 西汉 青铜骑兽人物博山炉
  • Title: Incense Burner (Boshan Lu)
  • Period: Western Han dynasty (206 BCE–9 CE)
  • Culture: China
  • Medium: Bronze
  • Dimensions: H. 12 11/16 in. (32.3 cm); Diam. of rim 5 3/16 in. (13.1 cm); Diam. of base 8 3/4 in. (22.3 cm)
  • Classification: Metalwork
  • Credit Line: Lent by Hebei Provincial Museum
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art