Incense box

Incense box

Hu Wenming

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Implements commonly used for burning incense included a box, a burner, a flat-bowled spoon and tongs, and a vase for storing these utensils. The burners are often modeled after archaic bronze vessels. Although it is not clear if the three Chinese objects displayed here (2015.500.6.22–.24) originally formed a set, all are inscribed with the name of the artist, Hu Wenming, and exhibit the same decorative technique.


Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

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The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.