EG 102 · Bronzes

Bronze Alms-Bowl Censer

Censer of bowl form

A deep bowl of bronze with a band of ruyi heads at the shoulder and a ring of lotus petals at the foot. Heavy in the hand, dark and glossy on the surface.

This is the alms-bowl form, one of the classic shapes for a censer. The surface has gone a deep chocolate brown with warmer patches where it is handled. The band of decoration is crisp, and the lotus foot lifts the whole thing off the table.

Use it as a censer, as a bowl for a plant, or simply as a dark, quiet shape on a desk or a sideboard. It sits well with wood and with stone.

The base carries a six-character mark in the Xuande manner, shown in the inset. Marks of this kind are common on censers made in the traditional style, and we describe it as a mark, not as a date.