Ancient Chinese, Han dynasty Terracotta A Rare Painted Grey Pottery ‘Boshanlu’ Incense Burner and Cover. Ex- Bonhams - 21 cm
03
days
23
hours
42
minutes
06
seconds
Current bid
€ 8
Reserve price not met
Expert
Selected by Ruth Garrido Vila
Directed the Ifergan Collection Museum, specialising in Phoenician and Mediterranean archaeology.
Estimate € 1,800 - € 2,200
 | €8 | |
|---|---|---|
 | €7 |
Catawiki Buyer Protection
Your payment’s safe with us until you receive your object.View details
Trustpilot 4.4 | 142553 reviews
Rated Excellent on Trustpilot.
A Han Dynasty ancient Chinese terracotta Boshanlu incense burner with a mountainous domed cover, 21 cm high, retaining original polychrome decoration and provenance from the Peter and Mary White Collection, acquired in 2026.
AI-assisted summary
Description from the seller
A Rare Painted Grey Pottery ‘Boshanlu’ Incense Burner and Cover
Han Dynasty (206 BC–220 AD)
Finely modelled in grey earthenware, the incense burner is raised on a tall, spreading pedestal foot supporting a deep hemispherical bowl. The fitted domed cover is dramatically moulded in the form of a mountainous landscape, with overlapping craggy peaks rising towards a prominent central summit.
The surface retains extensive traces of its original polychrome decoration, including vivid iron-red pigment highlighting the mountain peaks and horizontal bands around the vessel and stem, together with darker grey-black painted details. The combination of the grey pottery body and surviving burial pigments gives the piece a particularly evocative archaeological character.
The mountain-form cover identifies the vessel with the celebrated boshanlu, or “universal mountain” incense burner, a form closely associated with Han dynasty funerary and cosmological imagery. Such mountain censers are generally understood to represent the mythical sacred mountains or paradisiacal realms inhabited by immortals. When incense was burned within the vessel, smoke would have emerged around the mountainous cover, creating the impression of peaks enveloped in clouds and mist.
The burner survives with its original separate cover and retains an old Peter and Mary White Collection label.
Height: approximately 21 cm.
Provenance:
The Peter and Mary White Collection of Chinese Art.
Bonhams, London, A Life in Ceramics: The Peter and Mary White Collection of Chinese Art, Part IV
Condition:
Good condition considering the age. Extensive ancient surface wear, burial encrustation and losses to the original pigments, entirely consistent with an excavated Han dynasty pottery object. Original red and darker painted decoration remains clearly visible. Please refer closely to the photographs.
-Premium Authenticity Guarantee – Becker Antiques (Established 1966)
This is a high-value artwork, selected with the utmost care by Becker Antiques, a gallery founded in 1966 and based in a historic five-storey mansion in Amsterdam’s Museum Quarter.
Every premium piece we offer undergoes a rigorous authentication process based on nearly 60 years of specialist expertise. This includes:
• Detailed stylistic and typological analysis
• Assessment of condition, surface, and age-related characteristics
• Comparative research with museum and literature examples
We guarantee that this object is genuine, original, and exactly as described, with no modern, altered, or assembled elements unless clearly mentioned in the listing.
Becker Antiques is trusted by museums, collectors, and institutions worldwide. Each premium item is chosen for its authenticity, historical integrity, and exceptional quality.
For serious collectors or institutions wishing to receive additional documentation, we are always happy to assist.
Shipping
The figure will be professionally packed and dispatched in a custom wooden crate within three working days, shipped by FedEx with full insurance.
Seller's Story
Becker Antiques (Established 1966)
Founded in 1966 by Jan Simon Becker, Becker Antiques is one of the most respected and established dealers in Asian art in the Netherlands. Our gallery is housed in a stunning five-storey mansion built in 1891, located in Amsterdam’s prestigious Museum Quarter (Oud-Zuid), just minutes from the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum, and the renowned Royal Concert Hall, “Koninklijk Concertgebouw.”
For nearly 60 years, we have specialized in high-quality and fully authentic works of art from China, Japan, Southeast Asia, and other classical cultures. Our main areas of expertise include:
Han–Ming dynasty pottery and tomb figures
Chinese bronzes, Buddhist sculptures, and ritual objects
Stone and wooden sculptures from Asia
Japanese and Southeast Asian artworks
Qing dynasty furniture and scholar’s items
Every object we offer is carefully selected for authenticity, originality, and historical importance. All items are guaranteed to be as described, supported by decades of specialist knowledge and connoisseurship.
Becker Antiques is trusted by museums, private collectors, and dealers worldwide. We take pride in offering not only genuine works of art, but also the integrity, expertise, and transparency that have defined our gallery for almost six decades.
For any questions, we are always happy to assist.
Legal Notice – Intellectual Property & Authenticity
All descriptions, texts, and seller information provided under the Becker Antiques profile on Catawiki constitute original intellectual property.
No part of these descriptions or seller statements may be copied, reproduced, or adapted—whether in whole or in part—without prior written permission from Becker Antiques.
Becker Antiques is the sole author and copyright holder of all seller texts used in our listings. Unauthorized use or imitation of our content, structure, or professional statements may constitute infringement under EU copyright law and may be reported to Catawiki as a violation of seller terms and misleading commercial practice.
All objects offered by Becker Antiques are guaranteed to be authentic and as described. We do not sell assembled, altered, or modern reproductions unless explicitly stated.
A Rare Painted Grey Pottery ‘Boshanlu’ Incense Burner and Cover
Han Dynasty (206 BC–220 AD)
Finely modelled in grey earthenware, the incense burner is raised on a tall, spreading pedestal foot supporting a deep hemispherical bowl. The fitted domed cover is dramatically moulded in the form of a mountainous landscape, with overlapping craggy peaks rising towards a prominent central summit.
The surface retains extensive traces of its original polychrome decoration, including vivid iron-red pigment highlighting the mountain peaks and horizontal bands around the vessel and stem, together with darker grey-black painted details. The combination of the grey pottery body and surviving burial pigments gives the piece a particularly evocative archaeological character.
The mountain-form cover identifies the vessel with the celebrated boshanlu, or “universal mountain” incense burner, a form closely associated with Han dynasty funerary and cosmological imagery. Such mountain censers are generally understood to represent the mythical sacred mountains or paradisiacal realms inhabited by immortals. When incense was burned within the vessel, smoke would have emerged around the mountainous cover, creating the impression of peaks enveloped in clouds and mist.
The burner survives with its original separate cover and retains an old Peter and Mary White Collection label.
Height: approximately 21 cm.
Provenance:
The Peter and Mary White Collection of Chinese Art.
Bonhams, London, A Life in Ceramics: The Peter and Mary White Collection of Chinese Art, Part IV
Condition:
Good condition considering the age. Extensive ancient surface wear, burial encrustation and losses to the original pigments, entirely consistent with an excavated Han dynasty pottery object. Original red and darker painted decoration remains clearly visible. Please refer closely to the photographs.
-Premium Authenticity Guarantee – Becker Antiques (Established 1966)
This is a high-value artwork, selected with the utmost care by Becker Antiques, a gallery founded in 1966 and based in a historic five-storey mansion in Amsterdam’s Museum Quarter.
Every premium piece we offer undergoes a rigorous authentication process based on nearly 60 years of specialist expertise. This includes:
• Detailed stylistic and typological analysis
• Assessment of condition, surface, and age-related characteristics
• Comparative research with museum and literature examples
We guarantee that this object is genuine, original, and exactly as described, with no modern, altered, or assembled elements unless clearly mentioned in the listing.
Becker Antiques is trusted by museums, collectors, and institutions worldwide. Each premium item is chosen for its authenticity, historical integrity, and exceptional quality.
For serious collectors or institutions wishing to receive additional documentation, we are always happy to assist.
Shipping
The figure will be professionally packed and dispatched in a custom wooden crate within three working days, shipped by FedEx with full insurance.
Seller's Story
Becker Antiques (Established 1966)
Founded in 1966 by Jan Simon Becker, Becker Antiques is one of the most respected and established dealers in Asian art in the Netherlands. Our gallery is housed in a stunning five-storey mansion built in 1891, located in Amsterdam’s prestigious Museum Quarter (Oud-Zuid), just minutes from the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum, and the renowned Royal Concert Hall, “Koninklijk Concertgebouw.”
For nearly 60 years, we have specialized in high-quality and fully authentic works of art from China, Japan, Southeast Asia, and other classical cultures. Our main areas of expertise include:
Han–Ming dynasty pottery and tomb figures
Chinese bronzes, Buddhist sculptures, and ritual objects
Stone and wooden sculptures from Asia
Japanese and Southeast Asian artworks
Qing dynasty furniture and scholar’s items
Every object we offer is carefully selected for authenticity, originality, and historical importance. All items are guaranteed to be as described, supported by decades of specialist knowledge and connoisseurship.
Becker Antiques is trusted by museums, private collectors, and dealers worldwide. We take pride in offering not only genuine works of art, but also the integrity, expertise, and transparency that have defined our gallery for almost six decades.
For any questions, we are always happy to assist.
Legal Notice – Intellectual Property & Authenticity
All descriptions, texts, and seller information provided under the Becker Antiques profile on Catawiki constitute original intellectual property.
No part of these descriptions or seller statements may be copied, reproduced, or adapted—whether in whole or in part—without prior written permission from Becker Antiques.
Becker Antiques is the sole author and copyright holder of all seller texts used in our listings. Unauthorized use or imitation of our content, structure, or professional statements may constitute infringement under EU copyright law and may be reported to Catawiki as a violation of seller terms and misleading commercial practice.
All objects offered by Becker Antiques are guaranteed to be authentic and as described. We do not sell assembled, altered, or modern reproductions unless explicitly stated.
Details
Culture
Ancient Chinese, Han dynasty
Century/timeframe
2nd c.
Name of object
A Rare Painted Grey Pottery ‘Boshanlu’ Incense Burner and Cover. Ex- Bonhams
Acquired from
Auction house
Year acquired
2026
Material
Terracotta
Country acquired from
United Kingdom
Condition
Very good
Previous owner acquired from
Private collection
Height
21 cm
Previous owner - year acquired
2000
Previous owner - country acquired from
United Kingdom
I verify that I have obtained this object legally and that I am allowed to sell it
Yes
Authenticity
Original/official
Sold by
