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Pair of imperial burners in the form of qilin

Two blue lion-shaped pots with gold legs

Pair of imperial burners in the form of qilin
China, Qing dynasty
Qianlong period (1736-95)

Pairs of incense burners, like these, lined the pathways to the thrones in the emperor's palaces in Beijing. Pairs of cloisonné qilin like these were placed along the side of the approaches to the imperial thrones in the various Halls of the Forbidden City in the capital Beijing.