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Incense Burner (Boshan Lu)
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
The conical cover of this incense burner represents a miniature mountain with hunting scenes. The cover was shrouded in mist and emanated intoxicating smoke through its openwork when fragrant woods and herbs were burnt in its stem cup, transporting its beholder into an imaginative realm.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineIncense Burner (Boshan Lu) (博山爐), 200–100 BCE. China, Western Han dynasty (206 BCE–8 CE). Bronze; diameter: 9.9 cm (3 7/8 in.); overall: 18.4 cm (7 1/4 in.); lid: 7.8 x 9.1 cm (3 1/16 x 3 9/16 in.); container: 11.3 cm (4 7/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund, 1986.46