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Tripod incense burner

1486
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 210
This censer is a creative fusion of archaic and contemporary designs. The tripod form has been modified according to Ming dynasty ideas, notably the elongated handles and pouch-shaped body. The band of stylized dragons around its belly derives from antique models, while the turbulent waves around its neck come from later ceramics. Its inscription states that it was cast in 1486 for the local Confucian temple of Zengcheng (now a suburb of Guangzhou, Guangdong Province).

Inscription
知增城縣事提調官鍾綱造，　督工訓導白誠，　成化丙午歲置
Zhong Gang, mayor of Zengcheng County, commissioned and ordered Instructor Bai Cheng to install [this incense burner] in the bingwu year of the Chenghua reign.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Tripod incense burner
  • Period: Ming dynasty (1368–1644)
  • Date: 1486
  • Culture: China
  • Medium: Copper alloy
  • Dimensions: H. 15 11/16 (39.8 cm); W. 11 3/4 (29.8 cm); D. 10 1/2 in. (26.7 cm)
    Diam. of rim: 7 3/4 in. (19.7 cm)
  • Classification: Metalwork
  • Credit Line: Purchase, Friends of Asian Art Gifts, 2020
  • Object Number: 2020.124
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art

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