Incense Burner Lid

Guan Kiln, Southern Song dynasty, 1127-1279 AD
Southern Song Imperial Kiln Museum, Hangzhou

The lid is decorated with the eight trigrams, which are cut through its surface to allow the smoke to escape. According to the museum information, when the Southern Song court fled to Hangzhou they had to travel light and leave their bronze vessels behind. Therefore, personal and ritual vessels like offering bowls and incense burners had to be remanufactured locally by the Guan kiln, in pottery instead of bronze.

Recall that the museum itself is built on the site of the Guan kiln excavation (see earlier pages).