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Republic Period Famille Rose Rectangular Porcelain Incense Holder stock #JWHbrickInsc
Republic period Chinese porcelain rectangular incense holder, Jingdezhen, decorated in famille rose enamels with a lady in a garden on one side and a bird among blossoming branches on the other, each accompanied by poetic inscriptions; one panel dated 乙酉年夏月 (summer 1945) and signed “written at Zhushan,” the decorators’ quarter of Jingdezhen. The sealed brick-form body is pierced at both narrow ends with interlocking double-coin vents, allowing use upright for slender stick incense or horizontally for pellets or aromatic pastilles. Measures approximately 5ʺW × 2.5ʺD × 5.5ʺH. Condition is good, with light edge wear consistent with age, small chips at corners, and a fine, stable hairline at one end; no restorations observed.
June’s Thoughts
At first glance I assumed this was a Chinese brick-form porcelain pillow, but handling it more closely revealed a far more interesting scholar’s object. The sealed body and pierced double-coin ends make sense as a fragrance or incense holder, and what ultimately confirmed that interpretation for me was the poetry itself. The inscriptions add further distinction: two complementary verses referencing spring breezes and drifting fragrance — “Green grasses dance with the wind” and “Emerald willows play in the sounds of spring.” Pieces that combine dated inscriptions, poetic content, and this rare rectangular form are notably scarce, and I especially appreciate that the object remains both visually refined and quietly usable today.
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