Tent-shaped incense burner made of Tibetan black ceramic · CHARU × Saso

A whimsical incense burner shaped like a black nomad tent—the roof surfaces smoothed by hand using a faceting technique, the entrance open, and a small row of openings at the top through which the smoke escapes. For generations, the black tent made of yak hair served as a home for herding families; today, it is rapidly disappearing from the landscape.

The vessel is shaped from blue slate-clay in Kham, in eastern Tibet. The clay is dried, crushed, sifted, mixed with sand, kneaded, shaped by hand, and polished; it is then air-dried and fired in an earthen pit in the absence of oxygen—this process produces the deep black color with its metallic sheen. A removable base plate with a recessed well holds incense cones or loose incense and can be removed for cleaning.

This piece is crafted by Sangchok Sonpo in Chindu, who carries on the Anchong pottery tradition. Saso is part of CHARU, which connects designers with craft cooperatives in the Tibetan cultural region and uses these connections to develop products that bring traditional techniques into everyday life.

13.8 × 10.8 cm · Height 7 cm · Interior dimensions 10 × 7 cm, interior height 3.3 cm · Wall thickness 0.8 cm · Weight approx. 650 g · Slate powder clay, hand-formed and kiln-fired · With removable base plate