Hand-Held Incense Burner
Bronze
Hand-Held Incense Burner
PAKISTAN
The incense burner is one of the 18 possessions of a Buddhist monk, as well as an offering instrument. This example is from the kingdom of Gandhara.
The burner is cast in three parts: a bowl, a lid, and a handle. The bowl and lid together form a sphere. The bowl has a flat bottom and is decorated with lotus petals. The lid is adorned with a band of lotus petals and a vine scroll motif. There is a circular knob and a hole for the release of smoke. The rims of the lid and bowl are decorated with cross-hatching. The handle widens towards the end, which is shaped like a crown. On the handle near the bowl, there is the head of a makara, a mythical water creature.
For more details, go to the Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Artifacts, page 117.
Cite this article:
author = Hsingyun and Youheng and Youji and Pokorski, Stefanie and Mankuang and Fan, Wen,
booktitle = {Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Artifacts },
pages = 117,
title = {{Hand-Held Incense Burner}},
volume = 18,
year = {2016}}