Incense Burner Item Number: N1.528 from the MOA: University of British Columbia

Description

Three legged burner with two one-horned dragons serving as handles. The inscription on the bottom dates it to Hsuan-te (1426-1435), of the Ming Dynasty. The inscription under this incense burner states that it was given to the temple by a pilgrim from Peking. It was bought in 1923, from a priest of the "Gin Din" (Golden Summit) Temple, on Mount Omei, in the far west province of Szechwan. The original Temple had been burned many years ago. Various things were dug from the ruins and sold, to get money to rebuild. This bronze incense burner and its mate, bought by someone else, was among the relics dug from the ruins. The presentation was made over three hundred years ago. Mount Omei is one of the five holy mountains of Buddhism in China.