Chinese Lidded Censer with Dragon Base, Phoenix and Mountain Design, and Phoenix Finial

The smoke was meant to rise through these hills like mist.

This lidded censer with a dragon base, phoenix and mountain design comes from China and dates to the Qing Dynasty, in the late 19th or early 20th century. It is white bronze. Mountain-shaped censers have a long history in China, their rising smoke suggesting clouds around the peaks where immortals were said to live. Deer and other animals wander the pierced, layered slopes. A slim dragon twists up from a wave-covered base, and a long-tailed phoenix stands on top. It stands 17.5 inches high and measures five in diameter.

The view from the summit belongs to the phoenix.