Censer with dragon masks

This rare censer, which held burning incense, belongs to the same set of scholar’s tools as the white water pot also seen in this case. Here, two dragon masks, with palm frond–like manes, short horns, and long whiskers, are crisply carved in shallow relief. In a nod to the past, the bluish-white glaze resembles earlier Song dynasty qingbai (green-white) wares.