Chinese Lu or Incense Burner

Glossy, ink-blue pyramid with a bare peg-hole on top and not one painted detail.

This porcelain lu or incense burner is from Hebei Province, China, and dates to the 19th century. Incense burners in China are generally associated with offerings to ancestors and deities, and with the quiet rituals of reading, meditation and welcoming guests. Four-sided, tapering block covered in a thick, deep cobalt glaze that pools darker near the base and thins at the edges. A small round hole opens on the top, and the four corners sit on tiny unglazed feet. It is 2.25 inches wide, 2.25 deep and 2.5 high.

Pure color, clean lines, and nothing at all to explain.