Incense burner with fish-shaped handles

China

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 213

Connoisseurs particularly admired the lustrous surface and sublime patina of legendary bronze incense burners of the Xuande era (1426–35). Numerous incense burners bear Xuande marks, which do not necessarily indicate their actual production date but rather serve as an homage to a past glory. Decorated with a smooth red and gold patina, this censer would have been handled by literati in their studios and cherished as a fashionable pastime.

Incense burner with fish-shaped handles, Copper alloy, China

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Incense burner with fish-shaped handles, Copper alloy, China
Incense burner with fish-shaped handles, Copper alloy, China
Incense burner with fish-shaped handles, Copper alloy, China

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