Douli Incense Holder

The Douli Incense Holder reproduces the lid knob of the original Jinsha Ancestor Teapot at its exact size.

An emblematic vessel in the study of Zisha history, the Jinsha Ancestor Teapot is traditionally attributed to a monk of Jinsha Temple during the Ming dynasty. Shaped by Chan aesthetics, it is celebrated as a source of Zisha creation. Small as the lid may be, it concentrates the spirit of the whole pot, like the crown of a monk's head or the small inner space of practice.

Here, its knob becomes an incense holder. The quiet colour of Zini clay recalls an old mountain temple or a well-used inkstone. Its form is a douli, the traditional conical hat; its spirit belongs to the Ancestor Teapot.

A small object with a depth of meaning: nothing added, nothing taken away, nothing ornate. In this modest knob, the lineage of the original vessel endures. Light a stick of incense and meet, across the centuries, the first spirit of Zisha.