Incense burners are vessels made for burning incense or perfume in some solid form. They vary greatly in size, form, and material of construction, and have been in use since ancient times throughout the world.
Below are some examples and price guides of antique incense burners which have animals in their design, including a spinach-green jade burner and a Chinese frog form burner.
A VERY FINE ARCHAISTIC SPINACH-GREEN JADE INCENSE BURNER AND COVER, TULU
Qianlong
Finely carved around the exterior with a decorative band of archaistic dragons with their bodies interlaced as if to form waves, the heads rising above the writhing bodies at regular intervals, all above a further band of taotie masks, flanked with a pair of animal-head handles suspending loose rings, the cover carved with a large coiling five-clawed dragon finial surrounded by four smaller chilong, the stone of deep green tone. 15.5cm (6 1/8in) wide
Sold for £145,200 inc. premium at Bonham’s in 2022
A PARTHIAN BRONZE INCENSE BURNER
IRAN, CIRCA MID 1ST -2ND CENTURY A.D.
12 in. (30.5 cm.) long
Sold for GBP 5,670 at Christie’s in 2022
Chinese Bronze Frog-Form Incense Burner
Late 18th/early 19th century
With a lily pad-form lid. Height 4 7/8 inches.
Sold for $750 (includes buyer’s premium) at Doyle in 2020
A bronze ‘goose’ three-part incense burner Ming dynasty
Sold for 6,930 EUR at Sotheby’s in 2022
