Tall Tripod Incense Burner

An incense burner on three tall legs, shaped after a bronze ding.

The ding is the oldest ceremonial vessel in China, a three-legged cauldron cast in bronze three thousand years ago for offerings, and the number of ding a household was allowed once told you its rank. This one is thrown in ceramic and glazed the colour of old bronze, with two upright ears and a pierced lid so the smoke leaves in a slow column rather than a spill. The long legs lift the coil clear of the table and keep the heat off the surface.

It suits a tea table or a study, and comes in its own box, so it is often bought for a tea drinker or for someone setting up a first altar.