Chinese Dragons Aroma Burner with Glass Tealight Holder, Bronze and Gold Finish, 5 in New Attic no returns

Chinese Dragon Burner in Bronze and Gold

Three dragons coil up three pillars to hold a glass bowl above a small flame. Bronze patina covers their bodies, and gold picks out the scales. This Chinese dragon burner works as a fragrance oil warmer. The bowl holds essential oils or incense blends. A tealight in the glass tealight holder below warms them gently.

Product Details

• Material: Crushed stone and resin, with glass bowl
• Finish: Bronze patina with gold
• Dimensions: 5 in H x 4.75 in L x 4.75 in W
• Weight: 1.4 lbs
• Product number: O-156B

Chinese Dragon Symbolism Through the Dynasties

The Chinese dragon is not the fire breather of Western tales. It is a water spirit that brings rain. Farmers courted its favor with dragon dances and processions of paper dragons. Chinese dragon symbolism is very old. The earliest known dragon is a C-shaped Hongshan jade made between 4500 and 3000 BCE. Later the dragon became a sign of imperial power. Emperors held the Mandate of Heaven and wore silk robes embroidered with dragons. Only the emperor wore the five-clawed kind, while lesser officials wore four claws or fewer.

Incense and the Chinese Dragon Burner

The British Museum holds a Han dynasty burner called a boshanlu, or hill jar. Its lid is a stack of mountain peaks, and smoke drifted out like clouds around the summits. This modern Chinese dragon oil burner is a decorative piece in crushed stone and resin. It is not a copy of that vessel or of any museum original. It does share the old idea of rising scent and sculpted guardians. Here the guardians are dragons.

Form and Function

Each dragon on this dragon burner climbs one pillar, and the three together support the bowl. To use this fragrance oil warmer, add a little water and a few drops of oil. Then light a tealight below. The glass tealight holder lets the flame show through the pillars and cast moving shadows. As a fragrance oil warmer, it suits a home altar, a meditation corner, or a bookshelf. Place it on a heat safe surface and never leave a lit candle alone. Let it cool before wiping the glass tealight holder clean.

Chinese dragon symbolism pairs well with other Eastern pieces in our Asian Art Collection. The Happy Buddha oil burner offers a softer, friendlier look.

Dragon imagery runs from Neolithic jade to Qing court robes. The Han dynasty took the dragon as an emblem. The Qing ruled from 1644 to 1912 and kept the five-clawed dragon as a royal symbol. This Chinese dragon burner belongs to that long line.

For More Reading

• Follow the dragon from Neolithic jade to imperial robes. The Dragon in Ancient China - World History Encyclopedia
• Learn why only the emperor wore five claws. Chinese Imperial Dragons - Cornell University Library
• See a Han mountain censer wreathed in smoke. Incense burner, boshanlu - British Museum
• Trace dragon names and myths in one overview. Chinese dragon - Wikipedia