Chinese Lu or Incense Burner

Fat white puck with a ragged hole in the top and a few freckles.

This porcelain lu or incense burner is from Hebei Province, China, and dates to the 19th century. The lu is the Chinese name for a censer, a vessel for burning incense that has long stood on household altars, in temples and in scholars' studios. Rounded, low cylinder in milky white with a thick, slightly bubbled glaze, speckled with tiny dark flecks. A rough-edged hole opens at the center of the top. There is a small orange-brown chip near the upper edge and no painted decoration. It is 2.25 inches high and 3.5 in diameter.

Blank, round, and not remotely troubled by the lack of ornament.