Censer
19th to early 20th century
Medium
Bronze.
Dimensions
Height (with handle): 35 cm.
Classification
Metalwork-Bronze
Culture
Chinese
Department
Robert Lehman Collection
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Robert Lehman Collection, 1975
Accession Number
1975.1.1428
Art Historical Context
This elegant bronze censer, standing 35 cm tall with its, hails from China during the 19th to early 20th century—a period spanning the late Qing dynasty and the early Republic era. Censers like this were essential ritual objects, used to burn incense in temples, ancestral halls, and homes. The fragrant smoke rising from such vessels symbolized prayers ascending to the heavens, playing a central role in Buddhist, Taoist and Confucian ceremonies that emphasized harmony between the earthly and spiritual realms. Crafted in bronze, a medium revered in Chinese metalwork for its durability and lustr...
About the Artist
Chinese
The artist known simply as "Chinese" in museum records represents the vast tradition of anonymous or unattributed masters in Chinese art history, with 99 works preserved in our collection. These pieces exemplify the enduring legacy of guó huà, or traditional Chinese painting, one of the world's oldest continuous artistic practices. Early life is not well documented, as is common for many practitio...