Incense burner - Bronze - Elephant Heads

This censer is cast in bronze and embellished with polychrome decoration. The lid features an openwork design of intertwined, rope-like patterns—allowing incense smoke to escape—and is topped with a vajra finial. On either side of the censer body are three-dimensional elephant-head handles, rendered with exquisite detail. The front of the vessel’s belly bears a relief carving of a mythical bird with outstretched wings, accented with blue pigment, while the adornments on the elephant heads are highlighted in red, creating a rich, layered color palette.
The surface displays natural, mottled patination, and the pigments have faded slightly over time—marks of age acquired throughout the object’s long existence. The lid and body are detachable, facilitating both the placement of incense and the cleaning of the vessel.