Lidded Goose Form Incense Burner

This week’s New Arrival features a goose shaped cloisonné incense burner known as a censer. It is a highly collectible, masterfully created work of art, valued as much for its symbolism as the quality and beauty of its workmanship. To discover its meaning, we have to travel to a place where long ago fables were born.

In ancient China, a young couple moved from their home high in the mountains to a fertile valley far below. Unknowingly, they settled underneath an aerial pathway followed every spring and fall by migrating geese. The first time the geese passed overhead, their honking was so loud the husband thought the move a mistake; however, two days later they inherited some land from a long lost relative. The second time the geese passed overhead, the husband angrily shook his fist at them. Shortly thereafter the wife found out she was pregnant; a blessing since they desperately wanted children. The third time the geese passed overhead the husband was really infuriated. He ran outside their home cursing and flailing at the low flying, slowly moving, v-shaped formation. The geese ignored him and went on honking, unaffected by his tantrum, which only made him angrier.  Sure enough, a few days later he found out their land was littered with gemstones and gold.

Gilded cloissoné goose form censer

In the ensuing years the couple had more children, continued to discover great riches in unexpected places, and kept on receiving bequests from friends and family alike. At their 50th wedding anniversary, when asked why they were so lucky, they answered in unison, “the geese!” When asked about the longevity of their marriage they gave the same answer. So many people told their story it soon became a fable – if geese fly over your house good news will follow. In the process, geese also became a symbol for longevity in marriage, perhaps because they pair for life. It’s no wonder that geese became a favorite subject of poems, stories, and works of art created throughout Chinese history – including this week’s New Arrival. Whether you actually use it as an incense burner or simply place it in your home as an extraordinarily beautiful work of art, it’s likely good news will follow, and if you’re married, you’ll be celebrating that news for many years to come.

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