Chinese Incense Burner or Censer

Wide at the lip, narrow at the stem, and darkened by what looks like a long, unhurried life.

This incense burner or censer is from Hebei Province, China, is contemporary, and is made of bronze. Chinese incense burners have long been made in bronze, and stemmed cups of this sort belong to a broad family of ritual and household vessels. The bowl is a smooth, open cup with a thin flared rim and a hollow trumpet foot. The metal is a dark grey-black, with bronze-brown and faint green showing where the surface is worn or tarnished. A few small spots dot the bowl. It is 3.5 inches high and 5.5 in diameter.

A modern piece with the manners of an old one.