Illustrated Catalogue of Incense Vessels · From Boshan Censer to Incense Box_Chinese incense culture(香学)

Illustrated Catalogue of Chinese Incense Vessels: from the Han Boshan censer and Ming Xuande censer to incense seal, hand warmer, incense box, incense vase, incense tray, incense chopsticks, incense spatula, reclining censer, incense ball, incense box, and incense stand—examining the name, form, dynasty, and use of each piece.

Incense vessels embody the principle that "the vessel carries the Way" in incense practice. From the Han and Tang Boshan censers to the Ming Xuande censer, incense vessels evolved with ritual systems, aesthetics, and ways of life, serving both as tools for burning incense and as art for the scholar's studio and display. This catalogue examines the name, form, dynasty, and use of each piece, complementingTreatise on Incense Vesselsas outer and inner aspects.

Boshan Censer

Dynasty:Han.Form:The lid is pierced into the shapes of immortal mountains, clouds, and birds and beasts; when incense is burned, smoke curls out through the mountain crevices like the misty air of the immortal mountains on the sea.Use:Incense burning in palaces and among the nobility, also used as mingqi (burial goods). Mostly gilt bronze, it is the most representative artifact of Han dynasty incense practices.

Xuande censer

Dynasty:Ming (Xuande).Form:Emperor Xuanzong had Siamese wind-polished copper refined with gold, silver, and precious stones, and cast censers to bestow on officials; the patina colors include crab-shell green, Buddhist-scripture paper color, tangli white, and cinnabar spots.Use:The foremost implement of the scholar's studio, used both for burning incense on the desk and for appreciation; later generations took "Xuande censer" as the generic term for bronze incense burners.

Incense seal (impressed incense)

Dynasty:Tang; flourished in Song.Form:A brass or wooden seal mold, used to press incense powder into continuous seal-script characters or patterns.Use:Burned to mark time; the "hundred-marks incense" told time by the graduations consumed along the seal-script trail; also used as an elegant item for refined enjoyment.

Hand warmer (sleeve censer)

Dynasty:Han; flourished in Ming and Qing.Form:A small censer with a carrying handle, containing charcoal fire and incense ash, with an openwork lid.Use:Portable for warmth and incense burning alike, it could be tucked into a sleeve or set on a desk; held by both the court and scholars.

Incense box

Form:A small round or square box, made of porcelain, lacquer, wood, gold, or silver.Purpose:Holds incense pellets, incense cakes, and incense powder; moisture-proof and keeps clean; often used in pairs or as a set.

Incense bottle

Form:Small-mouthed bottle.Purpose:Together with the incense burner and incense box, forms the "three items of burner and bottle"; holds incense chopsticks and incense spatula, ensuring ritual propriety in use.

Incense tray (receiving tray)

Form:Shallow dish.Purpose:Supports the incense burner, catches falling incense embers and burner ash, and also serves as an elegant object on a table for display.

Incense chopsticks · Incense spatula

Form:Slender bronze chopsticks, small bronze spatula.Purpose:For tending ash, holding charcoal, and pressing incense powder; basic tools for indirect-fire incense burning, and together with the incense bottle form the "three items of burner and bottle."

Lying incense burner

Form:The burner body has a horizontal groove.Purpose:For burning incense sticks laid horizontally; often seen in Buddhist halls and studios; smoke flows steadily and ash does not tip.

Incense ball (sachet)

Form:A small openwork ball of gold or silver, containing an internal ring "self-leveling" device, so that no matter how it is rotated, the incense cup never tilts.Usage:It can be worn on the body, hung in a tent, or placed among bedding for incense fumigation. People of the Tang dynasty were especially fond of it, and it is also called a "bedding incense burner."

Incense box

Form:A small multi-tiered box.Usage:Originally a cosmetic box, it also served to store incense utensils and incense products, making it a收纳 for incense affairs in the boudoir and the scholar's studio.

Incense stand

Form:A small stand high enough to rest an elbow on, either square or round.Usage:Specifically used to hold an incense burner so that the burner is raised off the ground and the smoke rises upward; it is an elegant vessel among Ming-style furniture.

Incense Vessel Illustrated Catalog andTreatise on Incense Vessels、Annotated Translation of Xiang ChengTogether they belong to the "vessels · texts · methods" system of Chinese incense culture(香学); only by viewing them together can one gain a complete picture of incense affairs.

Read in detail by dynasty volume

This topic has been divided into volumes by dynasty, examining the forms, ritual systems, and method examples of each dynasty one by one:

• Incense Vessel Illustrated Catalog · Overview of Volumes
• Han · Boshan burners and fumigation burners
• Tang · Gold and silver incense sachets and portable incense
• Song · Porcelain burners and incense seals
• Ming · Xuande burners and the three items of burner, vase, and box
• Qing · Enamel burners and court incense affairs

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