Inlaid gold and silver phoenix head incense

The incense burner, or incense burner, was a very important incense burner in ancient times. The custom of incense burning has existed in my country since ancient times, and can be traced back to the Yellow Emperor period in ancient times. The ancients used incense to drive away mosquitoes, purify the air, and worship gods. Among the many incense burners, the incense burner is a special existence, especially the incense burner in the Warring States Period, which is unique and fascinating.

During the Warring States Period, the ancients liked to burn incense indoors, and this custom was still widely spread in the Han Dynasty. Due to the opening of the Silk Road, various exotic spices entered the Central Plains, making the incense spices more selective. The ancients in the Han Dynasty also liked to use incense when enjoying life, so the number of incense burners increased day by day, and spread throughout most parts of the country, and even exported overseas.

The materials of incense burners are mainly pottery and copper. Ceramic incense burners are mainly made of red pottery and gray pottery, or painted pottery incense burners. The production process varies. Some ceramic incense burners are crudely made and less decorated. They are generally funeral objects. Some ceramic incense burners are extremely finely made and colorful. Copper incense burners are mostly cast in bronze. The owners of copper incense burners are generally upper-class nobles, and ordinary people have almost no chance to come into contact with such exquisite objects. Copper incense burners are exquisitely made and are often used as rewards.

This Han Dynasty bronze incense burner shows a very unique bronze production process level. The texture is thick and solid, the shape is simple and elegant, reflecting the prosperous bronze casting industry and exquisite craftsmanship in the Han Dynasty. The top of the lid is shaped like a phoenix with its neck raised. The hollow lid and the body of the furnace are inlaid with gold and silver patterns, with a high foot and a round bottom, and the furnace base is in the shape of a trumpet. The furnace base is also carved with dragons and phoenixes, giving the incense burner a texture of sculpture art. The appearance of the phoenix-button incense burner indicates that the incense burner is developing in a deeper field of plastic arts. Just imagine that in the elegant and quiet study or living room at that time, blue smoke would rise from this incense burner, and the fragrant mist would linger, adding a touch of poetry to the elegant life of the owner of the room.