Chinese Traditional Art Craft "Carved Lacquer Incense Case" Peony Diameter: 7.7 cm Height: 5 cm Weight: 134 g Carved Lacquer Incense Case An incense case is a container for holding incense, and this one is made using a technique called carved lacquer (tsuishu). Carved lacquer is a technique in which layers of red lacquer are repeatedly applied, and patterns are carved into those layers of lacquer. If you look closely at the design of this incense case, you can see that underneath the surface of the red lacquer, layers of green, black, yellow, and other colors of lacquer are layered, creating a beautiful color tone in combination with the subtle curves. My family kept this. I think it's probably a souvenir from a trip to China.