The incense burner from the Mac Dynasty tells a story of history.

This incense burner, belonging to the gray-blue glazed ceramic line of the Mac Dynasty, was crafted around 1588-1591 and is currently an antique in the An Bien collection ( Hai Phong ). It is not only beautiful but also embodies the historical and cultural messages of the Vietnamese people.

The incense burner in the An Bien collection is a work of gray-blue glazed ceramic, 41cm high, with a mouth diameter of 23.5cm. It has a cylindrical shape, a tall, flared mouth, and is decorated with rectangular panels inside, each depicting a winding dragon in a "saddle-like" shape, characteristic of Mac Dynasty art.

It is closed in a rectangular or square patterned frame on the rim, or decorated with a blooming lotus flower pattern on the body.

The incense burner also holds historical significance as it resembles and is decorated with patterns from two types of bronze drums produced by the Vietnamese people.

The lower part of the incense burner resembles a Dong Son drum (dating back over 2,000 years). Scientists have previously encountered Dong Son drums facing upwards, but this incense burner is unique in its upside-down position, with its body clearly divided into three parts, featuring short, parallel brick patterns and a connected base triangle.

The incense burner is also decorated with the characteristic opposing lotus flower patterns of the Muong drum (also known as the Heger type II drum). The Muong drum is a successor to the Dong Son drum and dates from the beginning of the Common Era to the Le Trung Hung period (16th-18th centuries).

The neck is almost cylindrical in shape, decorated with lotus flower motifs and swirling cloud patterns, and inside is the character "Dai Tu," which means Buddha (Buddhism).

The base of the incense burner is shaped like a Dong Son bronze drum with a bulging rim, decorated with floral patterns that incorporate elements of both Dong Son and Muong bronze drums, such as lotus petal and triangular patterns.

In particular, there is a four-headed animal statue located between the drum's body and back. It has round eyes, pointed ears like a bat's, and even a nose and mouth, resembling the head of a bat. According to legend and feng shui, this image symbolizes happiness. This is a way of associating the sound "Bức" (bat) with the sound "Phúc" (happiness). Many temples and pagodas are decorated with bat figures for this reason.

Outside, the two large straps feature embossed, winding dragon motifs. There are four smaller straps along the body, each with embossed Chinese characters: “Ding Xiang,” “Hui Xiang” (also called Hui Xiang), “Jie Tuo Xiang,” and “Jie Tuo Zhi Jian Xiang.” These are characters from the Buddhist Prayer of Incense, meaning that the incense smoke burned to worship Buddha will form vast clouds of incense that spread throughout the ten directions, reaching all places where Buddhists reside. The meaning of the word “Xiang” here is the fragrance of virtue.

In this context, "Settled Incense" signifies a settled and pure state of mind for the incense burner. "Wisdom Incense" expresses the wish for the incense burner's wisdom to always be clear, recognizing the impermanence of life. "Liberation Incense" represents liberation from birth, death, and reincarnation. "Liberation of Knowledge Incense" represents seeing and knowing all phenomena, penetrating into the realm of Buddhahood…

Heritage Magazine