Incense burner in the shape of pheasant decorated with overglaze enamels, Ceramic sculpture and incense burner at Ishikawa Prefectural Museum of Art, Japan
The incense burner in the shape of a pheasant is a ceramic sculpture held at the Ishikawa Prefectural Museum of Art in Kanazawa, Japan, and classified as a National Treasure. It takes the form of a near life-sized bird covered in colored overglaze enamels in green, navy blue, red, and gold, while also functioning as a working incense burner.
The piece was made in the early 1700s by a leading craftsman working in the Kutani ceramic tradition, rooted in the Kanazawa region. It was officially registered in 1939 and later designated a National Treasure in 1951.
The pheasant is a bird long associated with beauty and nobility in Japanese art, which made it a fitting subject for a luxury object. Seeing the piece up close, you can notice how the colored enamels follow the natural pattern of the feathers with great care.
The object is on display at the Ishikawa Prefectural Museum of Art and can be seen from several angles. It is worth taking your time in front of it, as the details of the enamels are best appreciated slowly and at close range.
The sculpture is not just decorative but was made to actually work as an incense burner, with smoke meant to rise through the bird's beak. This combination of figurative form and practical function at this scale is very rare in Japanese ceramics.
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