Chinese Lu or Incense Burner

Plump barrel with a dark band at the foot and one sprawling blue character.

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. Rounded drum with a thick pale glaze, a wide flat top with a deep, dark central hole, and a blue-grey band at the shoulder and another at the foot. A large, loose brushed character in dark blue spreads across the belly. The base is bare. It is 2 inches high and 2.5 in diameter.

A single bold stroke, and the confidence to leave it there.