Incense burner - Bronze

Origin: East Asia (likely China or Japan), Qing Dynasty or Meiji period Made in bronze.
The vessel has a classic, balanced form with three low legs and a pierced lid for optimal air circulation and diffusion of the incense scent.
Notable are the two graceful handles (or bail ears) that subtly curve upward from the shoulder of the vessel. Each handle is richly decorated with a butterfly in relief, a beloved motif in East Asian art that stands for joy, impermanence, metamorphosis and the soul. The butterflies are carefully modeled, with fine details in the wings and antennae.
Condition
Well preserved for a piece of about 175–190 years old.
In one of the butterfly motifs on the handles, unfortunately a small wing is missing (old loss, probably due to intensive use or a fall in the past). This small imperfection hardly detracts from the whole and testifies to the lived character of the object.