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Art history never smelled so good
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ZHEJIANG Museum is hosting an exhibition of incense censers dating back more than 1,000 years.
The 66 upscale censers are from the Tang (AD 618-907) and Song dynasties (960-1279) and on display until July 12. The censers are on loan from 14 museums across the country including Famen Temple Museum in Shaanxi Province and Dingzhou Museum in Hebei Province.
In China, burning incense while reading, playing guqin (seven-stringed Chinese instrument), writing calligraphy or during religious rituals goes back to the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC).
Burning incense has long been considered conducive to creating a tranquil environment and refreshing the mind. Although the practice goes way back it became more popular during the Tang Dynasty, a period when Buddhism spread rapidly. The practice reached a zenith in the Song Dynasty, when it became part of the lifestyle of scholars and literati. Soon dedicated incense materials were imported from other countries and craftsmen within the country began producing exquisite censers.
The highlight of the exhibition is a suanni-shaped green glazed censer made in the Song Dynasty. Suanni is a mythical lion-like creature that is one of dragon’s nine sons. It always appears on censers since it likes smoke. Since ancient times, craftsmen carved suanni on censers as a symbol of protection.
Craftsmen created a variety of different shapes for censers, usually featuring a small body and a long handle. Auspicious patterns often adorn the handle while the body resembles a lotus.
According to Buddhist traditions, long-handle censers symbolize spreading light around the world. These types of censers were most common in the Southern and Northern Dynasties (AD 420-589).
Incense is still used today to ward off evil spirits and diseases. During the Dragon Boat Festival, which falls on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, many people burn incense to drive away unfriendly spirits.
While censers have been used for thousands of years, it wasn’t until 1987 that researchers started to understand their artistic value when Famen Temple was excavated.
A batch of ritual vessels were discovered from this Eastern Han Dynasty (AD 25-220) pagoda, including gold, silver and bronze censers in a variety of shapes.
Burning incense is a Buddhist ritual and is used as a way to connect with Buddha. Believers often pray in front of Buddha statues as incense burns. The censers unearthed from Famen Temple were used for such purposes.
Censers used by imperial courts were larger than others. They always featured three to six legs and were gilded with a gold lotus pattern, which symbolizes life and wisdom in Buddhism.
The exhibit also includes some porcelain censers, including a ceramic white-ware censer made in the Song Dynasty at Ding Kiln, one of the six most noted kilns in the country at the time.
The holes in this censer are shaped like a peach, an auspicious pattern that symbolizes fortune and longevity. Its five legs are engraved with mythical creatures. This piece has elegance and a sense of pureness, which is different from metallic censers that tend to be more aristocratic.
The exhibition also includes metal sachets, which were hollow globular vessels that held incense materials, incense boxes and incense spoons.
Date: Through July 12, 9am-4:30pm (closed on Mondays)
Address: 25 Gushan Rd
Admission: Free
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