Chinese Lu or Incense Burner

Blue strokes dash across this low, crackled drum as if it were galloping past.

This porcelain lu or incense burner is from Hebei Province, China, and dates to the 19th century. Many Chinese censers take their shape from ancient bronze ritual vessels, with a rounded bowl, a flared rim and handles or legs that carry the weight of the form. Short, wide barrel with a rounded shoulder and a flat top with a small central hole. A band of fine vertical dashes circles the shoulder, and loose blue figures sweep across the body. Fine cracks craze the glaze, and the foot is sooty. It is 2.1 inches high and 3.5 in diameter.

Scrappy, speedy, and every bit as appealing for it.