2-732-103 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Incense Burner (Boshan Lu), 200-100 BC. This incense burner--one of the most imaginative bronze vessel types--takes the shape of the mountain to represent the mythical land of the immortals, a boundless realm filled with energy. Deities (appearing as hunters) and fantastic beasts roam freely among mists and clouds. The incense smoke coming from the burner creates a mysterious effect, as if the mountain form could attract the immortals with its sense of illusion.