Chinese Censer with Lotus Motif

A lotus, caught mid-bloom and turned to stone.

Chinese carvers made this censer in marble in China, shaped as a lotus. Lotus forms are commonly associated in Chinese art with purity and with Buddhist imagery, and censers were used to burn incense. The wide, shallow bowl is lobed into petals around its rim and rests on a low round foot. The stone is a pale cream with buff and gray speckling, and the surface shows light wear.

About 14 inches across and 5 high. A good bowl for keys, or for nothing at all.