博山炉 / Boshan Incense Burner

Description

Also known as Boshan incense burner, Boshan incense burner, Boshan fumigation furnace and other names, the Boshan stove was a common apparatus used for burning incense among folk during the Han and Jin dynasties in China. It is commonly found in bronze and ceramic wares. The Boshan stove derives its name from its shape. The body is in the shape of a bean in bronze, with a lid, which is high and pointed, hollowed out and shaped like a mountain, with overlapping mountain shapes, and carved with cloud and air patterns, figures and birds and animals. When incense is burned in the furnace, the smoke billows out and drapes around the body, naturally creating the effect of hazy mountains and floating beasts, resembling the legendary ‘Boshan’, a mountain of immortality on the sea.