Shizi Incense Holder

An integral part of a home altar, censers have been used throughout China for thousands of years. Incense made from dried aromatic plants and essential oils would be burned within the home to cleanse interiors and honor ancestors during ritual prayer. This early 20th-century ceramic censer is formed in the shape a fu dog, also known as shizi, a symbol of power and a benevolent guardian that offers protection from evil spirits.