Incense burner - Bronze - Fish and Flowers
05
days
18
hours
52
minutes
55
seconds
Starting bid
€ 1
No reserve price
Expert
Selected by Sarah Le Helley
Studied Asian art and art market management; researched art in Taipei; worked in auctions.
Estimate € 150 - € 200
No bids placed
Catawiki Buyer Protection
Your payment’s safe with us until you receive your object.View details
Trustpilot 4.4 | 134742 reviews
Rated Excellent on Trustpilot.
Chinese bronze incense burner in a compact, globular pot shape with fish and lotus motifs, dating to 1980–1990.
AI-assisted summary
Description from the seller
* Dutch seller with more than 25 years of experience in Tibet, Nepal and China
* No extra costs for European buyers — no customs duties, import VAT, or handling fees, which you would pay with all other Asian suppliers on this auction
* 100% transparent — all photos taken by us and showing exactly the item you receive
* No middlemen — we ship our products ourselves, directly to you via easy-to-follow Track and Trace codes
* Lightning-fast shipping — always within 2 business days, usually within 1 business day
* Fair & combined shipping — combined shipping active on all our auction items
* Flexible shipping — after payment you can easily specify a preferred shipping date
* 100% Reliable — Your package will always be shipped, regardless of the final bid.
Chinese Bronze Incense Burner — Fish & Lotus
This is a Chinese bronze incense burner (xiang lu 香炉) in the shape of a compact, bulb-shaped pot with a wide open mouth.
Carps (鲤魚 lǐ yú) — The swimming fish are almost certainly carps, one of the strongest symbols in Chinese culture. Carps represent abundance, perseverance, and success (the legend of the carp that climbs the waterfall and becomes a dragon).
Lotus (荷花 hé huā) — The lotus flower and leaves are ubiquitous in Buddhist and Taoist art. The lotus symbolizes purity, enlightenment, and rebirth — rising out of muddy water, unblemished and clean.
Water plants & waves — Reinforce the aquatic theme of life, fertility, and the cosmic flow of energy (qi).
The combination of fish + lotus is a classic Feng Shui motif that stands for abundance in harmony with spiritual purity.
Incense burners like this were used in:
— Buddhist and Taoist temples as devotional offerings
— Learned study rooms (shūfáng 书房) as decorative and ritual objects
— Home altars for ancestor veneration.
This object can be shipped together with other items from me in this auction so you pay shipping costs only once.
Seller's Story
With more than 25 years of experience, we personally travel through China, Tibet, and Nepal to select authentic devotional art and ritual objects.
Each piece is carefully chosen for its cultural value, craftsmanship, and story.
Fast shipping and professional packaging - Each object is expertly packed to guarantee safe delivery
We always offer combined shipping on our auctions.
Note: You can only combine items within the same auction. If you wish to purchase multiple items from different auctions, pay for one item first and then send us a message so we can reduce the shipping costs on the other item.
Translated by Google Translate* Dutch seller with more than 25 years of experience in Tibet, Nepal and China
* No extra costs for European buyers — no customs duties, import VAT, or handling fees, which you would pay with all other Asian suppliers on this auction
* 100% transparent — all photos taken by us and showing exactly the item you receive
* No middlemen — we ship our products ourselves, directly to you via easy-to-follow Track and Trace codes
* Lightning-fast shipping — always within 2 business days, usually within 1 business day
* Fair & combined shipping — combined shipping active on all our auction items
* Flexible shipping — after payment you can easily specify a preferred shipping date
* 100% Reliable — Your package will always be shipped, regardless of the final bid.
Chinese Bronze Incense Burner — Fish & Lotus
This is a Chinese bronze incense burner (xiang lu 香炉) in the shape of a compact, bulb-shaped pot with a wide open mouth.
Carps (鲤魚 lǐ yú) — The swimming fish are almost certainly carps, one of the strongest symbols in Chinese culture. Carps represent abundance, perseverance, and success (the legend of the carp that climbs the waterfall and becomes a dragon).
Lotus (荷花 hé huā) — The lotus flower and leaves are ubiquitous in Buddhist and Taoist art. The lotus symbolizes purity, enlightenment, and rebirth — rising out of muddy water, unblemished and clean.
Water plants & waves — Reinforce the aquatic theme of life, fertility, and the cosmic flow of energy (qi).
The combination of fish + lotus is a classic Feng Shui motif that stands for abundance in harmony with spiritual purity.
Incense burners like this were used in:
— Buddhist and Taoist temples as devotional offerings
— Learned study rooms (shūfáng 书房) as decorative and ritual objects
— Home altars for ancestor veneration.
This object can be shipped together with other items from me in this auction so you pay shipping costs only once.
Seller's Story
With more than 25 years of experience, we personally travel through China, Tibet, and Nepal to select authentic devotional art and ritual objects.
Each piece is carefully chosen for its cultural value, craftsmanship, and story.
Fast shipping and professional packaging - Each object is expertly packed to guarantee safe delivery
We always offer combined shipping on our auctions.
Note: You can only combine items within the same auction. If you wish to purchase multiple items from different auctions, pay for one item first and then send us a message so we can reduce the shipping costs on the other item.
Translated by Google TranslateDetails
Era
1900-2000
Weight
1220 g
Title additional information
Fish and Flowers
Material
Bronze
Country of origin
China
Condition
Good condition - used with small signs of aging & blemishes
Height
8.5 cm
Width
16 cm
Depth
16 cm
Estimated period
1980-1990
Sold by
