Incense Burner with Fish-shaped Handles
Incense Burner with Fish-shaped Handles, 8.9cm in height, 11.9cm in mouth diameter, 9.6cm in base diameter, preserved in Museum of Chinese History. With fine crackles called Bai Ji Sui and Yu Zi Wen on the glaze, the burner is rare among existing products from Ge Kiln, thus possessing extremely high value for art research.
The burner is an imitation of Gui (a bronze vessel used for holding food in rituals) from the Shang (about 1600-1100 BC) and Zhou (About 1100-221 BC) dynasties. Its S-shaped contour is narrow at the top but wide at the bottom, showing a solemn, full style. There are two symmetrical fish-shaped handles; one on each side of the burner’s body. Simple and elegant in design, the burner has a round base. Plain and neat, it has a slate-grey glaze with web-like crackles called Jin Si Tie Xian, which add rhythmical beauty. There are six round traces of Zhi Ding on the exterior of its bottom.
The burner was once preserved in the palace of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and appreciated by Emperor Qianlong, the fourth emperor of the Qing Dynasty. When playing with the burner, Qianlong wrote a poem, which was then engraved in the form of regular script on its exterior bottom by court craftsmen.
The poem reads: “Who changed the evening incense? Now I can still smell the fragrance. The incense burner has fish-shaped handles. Its colors are like those on an eel’s body. Although there are no flames in it, mist seems to rise from the inside. After appreciating the burner, I find it is difficult to define its nose.” Beside the poem is an inscription: “Emperor Qianlong wrote in the mid-spring of 1776”.
As a famous product from Ge kiln, the burner got its name because it is used for burning incense and has two fish-shaped handles. Although the existing imitations from the Yuan (1271-1368) and Ming dynasties are similar to it, they don’t possess its charm.
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