The mythical luduan, also recorded in early texts as jiaoduan, appears in the Records of the Grand Historian (Shiji), in the biography of Sima Xiangru, which states: “Among beasts are the qilin and the jiaoduan.” Guo Pu later described it as “resembling a pig, with a horn upon its nose, suitable for making bows.” From the Song and Yuan periods onward, the iconography of the luduan gradually became standardised, typically represented as a mythical beast with a single horn and a leonine body, seated upright with an alert posture, and associated with wisdom, discernment, and auspiciousness.
The present incense burner takes the form of a luduan, its hollow body designed to contain incense, with fragrant smoke emerging through the mouth, combining practical function with refined aesthetic appeal as a scholar’s desk object. Longquan kilns, celebrated from the Song through the Ming and Qing periods for their rich and lustrous celadon glazes, produced wares prized for their jade-like quality. The present example displays a soft bluish-green glaze of pleasing translucency and depth, characteristic of later Longquan production.