Chinese Hand Warmer / Basket with Handle

Right now, a round black pot with a honeycomb lid and a handle that folds over the top.

This hand warmer or basket with handle is from China, and dates to the late 19th century. It is bronze. A hand warmer with a bail handle was a practical, portable heating device in China, usually made with a perforated lid so that heat could escape while the embers stayed enclosed. Framed simply, a squat, rounded vessel in dark grey-black, finished with scuffed, flaking patches. The domed lid is pierced with a close pattern of small holes and a central medallion. A swing handle arches over the top, hooked at both sides. It is 3.5 inches high and 5.5 in diameter.

Rounded, rugged and obviously used to being carried around.