x W: 14.5,
x D: 12.0 cm
This hexagonal censer with two handles and three legs in the form of elephant trunks with tusks is of a rare shape. It is decorated in the classic ivory-toned Dehua glaze. Censers were used for religious purposes in temples or at household altars, and also to decorate scholars' desk. They were regularly produced between the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1911) and exported to the European markets where they were used to hold plants. By the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), their overriding appeal would have been decorative.The appeal of Dehua porcelain lies in the purity of the porcelain and simple forms. This appeal has held since the mid-Ming dynasty when the refinement of the form and glaze led to the manufacture of lustrous white wares, later known in Europe as 'blanc de Chine' (white porcelain), and in China as pork-grease white (‘zhuyoubai’) or ivory white (‘xiangyabai’). In Europe, the distinctive qualities of blanc de Chine were appreciated as early as the 17th century when significant quantities were imported in the ships of the growing East India Company.
