incense burners

Pair of copper alloy incense burners both in the form of the mythical beast, suanni, the eighth son of the dragon, who looks like both a lion and smoke. Each is depicted with two horns, a mane, red stone eyes inset, an open mouth and a lotus bud knob on top of the head, which is turned to one side. Each burner also has curled hair covering the body, winged legs and a fork-like upturned tail. Each is hollow and has two openings, one at its belly and the other at the mouth. One is missing the stone eyes.

Collection Information

These objects are only a part of our collections, of which there are more than 350,000 objects. This information comes from our collections database. Some of this is incomplete and there may be errors. This part of the website is also still under construction, so there may be some fields repeated or incorrectly formatted information.

The database retains language taken from historical documents to help research. Please note that some records may feature language and reflect systems of thinking that are outdated and offensive. The database also includes information on objects that are considered secret or sacred by some communities.

If you have any further information about objects in our collections, can suggest corrections to our information or if you see content requiring immediate action, please contact us: enquiry@horniman.ac.uk