Han Dynasty Pottery Mountain-Shaped Incense Burner (Boshan Lu)

Western Han Dynasty, c. 206 BC – 220 AD, likely Guangdong or Guangxi Province, China

An exquisite and rare earthenware incense burner, this extraordinary vessel is of the boshan lu type—censers modeled in the shape of the universal mountain, believed to represent the mystical peaks where immortals resided. The conical lid, sculpted as a craggy, undulating mountain, is adorned with animated hunting scenes and wild beasts, evoking a vivid narrative in clay. Among the creatures depicted are the cosmic emblems central to early Han iconography: the White Tiger, Elephant, Ram, Red Bird, and the Dark Warrior—the latter often symbolized by a turtle entwined with a snake, but here strikingly embodied by a camel, a nod to Han China's deepening contact with the western steppes and nomadic cultures.

Each peak flows into the next like the rolling crests of waves, with a base that often resembles a floating island rising from a cosmic sea. These vessels were closely tied to the spiritual worldview of the Western Han, reflecting beliefs in sacred mountains—especially Mount Penglai, the fabled island of immortals believed to lie off the eastern coast of China. As incense burned in the inner cup, fragrant smoke would rise through the openwork lid, bringing the miniature mountain landscape to life and transforming the space into a realm of transcendence.

While some boshan lu were functional, used in life for burning incense, this particular example is believed to have served a funerary purpose, as a mingqi or "spirit object." The absence of vents in the lid suggests it was not meant for actual use, but rather intended to accompany the deceased in the afterlife. In Han burial practices, the afterlife was viewed as a continuation of earthly life, requiring the deceased to be surrounded by familiar objects—spiritual stand-ins for their possessions.

More than a ceremonial accessory, this mountain censer would have played a key role in soul continuity, helping the po (body-bound soul) and hun (spiritual soul) reunite at the horizon—the symbolic meeting point of heaven and earth—thus allowing the deceased to achieve the state of a hsien, or immortal. In this way, the boshan lu was not merely an object of beauty, but a portal to immortality itself.

Good condition. Surface wear and abrasions commensurate with age, nicks and chip, with encrusted patina and rich earthen deposits throughout. Size approx. 15,0cm x 19,3cm x 19,1cm.

Provenance: British private collection.