Authentic Vintage Tibetan Handcrafted Jade Mythical Beast Incense Burner
Sourced directly from rural China and Tibet, these beautiful collectable Chinese handcrafted pieces are just the thing to enhance that Oriental theme and make a stunning display when grouped together!
Jade – a gemstone of unique symbolic energy, and unique in the myths that surround it. With its beauty and wide-ranging expressiveness, jade has held a special attraction for mankind for thousands of years.
This vintage ornamental incense burner has a body carved from green jade*, with a non magnetic, silver plated metal used for the trimmings. A mythical beast stands atop the lid, with a lion head on each side of the jade body and three horses serving as feet.
Condition is good with no chips, cracks or missing pieces.
Height - 8cm.
Body diameter - 5cm
It has not been cleaned.
*This gem, with its discreet yet rather greasy lustre, which comes in many fine nuances of green, but also in shades of white, grey, black, yellow, and orange and in delicate violet tones, has been known to Man for some 7000 years. In prehistoric times, however, it was esteemed rather more for its toughness, which made it an ideal material for weapons and tools. Yet as early as 3000 B.C. jade was known in China as 'yu', the 'royal gem'. In the long history of the art and culture of the enormous Chinese empire, jade has always had a very special significance, roughly comparable with that of gold and diamonds in the West. Jade was used not only for the finest objects and cult figures, but also in grave furnishings for high-ranking members of the imperial family. Today, too, this gem is regarded as a symbol of the good, the beautiful and the precious. It embodies the Confucian virtues of wisdom, justice, compassion, modesty and courage, yet it also symbolises the female-erotic. A visit to the jade market, be it in Hong Kong or Rangoon, or at one of the Hong Kong jade auctions organised by Christie's, can give some idea of the significance this gem has for the people of Asia.
SHIPPING
Ordinary insured mail - R35.00
Speed Services to PO counter - R65.00
Items combined at R5.00 - R15.00 depending on weight and shipping option selected
