Sky-Blue Glazed Lotus-Form Incense Burner with Peacock Display

Light incense inside, and the smoke finds its way out through the peacock's tail. Each round opening in the fanned feathers lets a thin thread of fragrance drift up, so the bird seems to breathe.

The censer is built in tiers. At the top, a peacock spreads its tail into a full display. Below it, the burner bowl is wrapped in two rows of lotus petals in high relief, standing on a tall, waisted pedestal shaped like an upturned lotus flower. The cover lifts off so incense can be placed inside, and small vents in the base keep the air moving.

In Chinese art the peacock stood for beauty and noble rank, and the lotus for purity. Burning incense was part of a scholar's daily ritual: for reading, for painting, for quiet thought.

It's covered in a pale, powdery sky-blue glaze in the Ru tradition, with a fine crackle that shifts from blue to soft grey as the light changes. 36 cm tall.

The vessel is covered overall in Ru ware's characteristic sky-blue (tianqing) glaze with a subtle powder-blue tone. The glaze is suffused with a fine network of natural crab's-claw crackle, exhibiting a warm, jade-like texture and a soft, understated lustre. Varying from pale blue to bluish-grey under changing light, it embodies the celebrated Ru ware aesthetic of “the colour of the sky after rain.” The incense burner is formed in two detachable sections, allowing the cover to be removed for the placement of incense. A double-layered openwork design, combining the pierced peacock plumage with ventilating apertures in the base, ensures efficient airflow and the even diffusion of fragrant smoke.

The cover is modelled in the round as a peacock with its tail fully displayed, the fan-shaped plumage intricately pierced with evenly spaced circular apertures through which fragrant smoke is gently released during use. The bird is depicted with an elegant upright stance, while the carefully defined ocelli (eye-spots) of the tail form the principal ventilation system of the incense burner.

In Chinese tradition, the peacock is revered as an auspicious bird symbolizing nobility, prosperity, and honour. Its fully spread tail signifies the fulfilment of great aspirations and the attainment of success, while the character kong (孔, peacock) is a homophone for gong (功, achievement), further conveying wishes for distinction, official advancement, and prosperity.

The censer is formed with a lotus-shaped body featuring a foliate rim designed to accommodate powdered or coil incense. The undulating mouth echoes the contours of lotus petals, while the exterior is carved in high relief with two tiers of overlapping lotus-petal decoration. It is raised on a tall waisted pedestal in the form of an upturned lotus, richly adorned with carved lotus petals that provide both structural stability and visual harmony. Revered in Buddhism as a symbol of purity, peace, and spiritual enlightenment, the lotus emerges unstained from the mud and embodies the ideals of moral integrity and transcendence. A traditional form for ceremonial incense burners, the lotus pedestal is especially associated with Buddhist worship and the cultured ambience of the scholar's studio. The composition conveys auspicious blessings of prosperity, serenity, and the fulfilment of lofty aspirations.