Portable Incense Burner in the Shape of a Lotus
Artist
Miura Ken’ya
Japan 1821 – Japan 1889
Title
Portable Incense Burner in the Shape of a Lotus
Date
1850s-1889
Materials
Stoneware, painted decoration in polychrome enamel over white slip
Dimensions
12.6 x 25 x 9 cm
Credits
Gift of Philip Cheong in memory of Tsun-Han Fan, inv. 2014.157.1-2
Collection
Archeology and World Cultures
This portable incense burner stands out in the Van Horne collection, which includes primarily tea ware. It was purchased in New York in 1898 for nine dollars. It was Van Horne’s 828th purchase, as stated in one of his inventory notebooks. Ken’ya was known for his incense burners and recognized in the West as a dignified master potter. His success was related to the contemporary craze for the Rimpa style, which mesmerized so many Western collectors in the 1880s and 1890s, including Van Horne.
