Incense Burner in the Shape of a Rooster

Incense Burner in the Shape of a Rooster

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This incense burner in the shape of a rooster represents a high point of Edo enameling only rarely found on objects of this size. Except for the head and feet, the rooster's form was not molded but hammered from a sheet of copper alloy. The surface is embellished by intricate chasing on gilded and silvered copper. The enameling is a result of the champlevé technique, in which silica paste colored by various metallic oxides is set in grooves that are hammered or chiseled out of the metal base, rather than being held by wire soldered onto the base, as in cloisonné.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Incense Burner in the Shape of a RoosterIncense Burner in the Shape of a RoosterIncense Burner in the Shape of a RoosterIncense Burner in the Shape of a RoosterIncense Burner in the Shape of a Rooster

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.