Chinese Ram Incense Burner - Anyone Recognize the Mark?

Hello Board Folk! I'm out of my depth on this one. I bought this ram incense burner recently and would love to know more about where it comes from. I'm pretty sure it's a Chinese chop mark. The burner measures about 7" long and about 3 3/4" high. I'm not sue about the metal. The bottom certainly looks like copper but I'm not sure about the top. Brass or bronze over copper perhaps? It looks like there is either red paint or rust between the hairs on his tail. I realize it's probably not an old piece but it still seems kind of neat. Any help would be much appreciated. Thank you!
Don

 

I doubt it is copper.
More likely brass. Brass can turn red while tarnishing. The bottom may have sat on an iron piece that rusted. Particularly since the tarnish/rust is not even across the bottom, but in an oval shape.

I agree newer. His face is too sweet for an old ram

 

Generally speaking, most souvenir/decorator nonferrous metal objects like this one have artificial patinas due to the application of chemicals. The colors you see rarely reveal anything about the type of metal. A classic example is spelter, long-used as an inexpensive substitute for bronze. The raw spelter has a silvery metallic appearance but can be artificially patinated so it is difficult to tell it from real bronze. You can see silvery metal showing through the chemicals in a couple places in the photos.

 

The unscratched bottom and absence of zinc oxide suggest that it is a 21st. C. Product.

 

Good morning everyone. Woke up to around 2" of snow and it is still coming down with the temp. 19 degrees F. I know many of you are in feet of snow, but this is in the mid-south. Good day to curl up in front of the fire and wander around online forums.

Googling Chinese Ram incense burner I found several that appear to be of a very similar mold with at least one identical to also having the same markings.
Identical:
https://www.onekingslane.com/p/4553910-bronze-goat-incense-burner

Couple of other metal ones:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Orn...-Ram-Goat-Incense-Burner-Censer-/262419412497
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Chi...-Sheep-Incense-burner-Censer/32367291175.html

Even an ornate porcelain one:
http://www.trocadero.com/stores/gal.../Chinese-porcelain-incense-burner-in-form-ram

--- Susan

I've seen mention of this goat related to FengShui Zodiac Tear Sheep Goat. Here is one that the seller called Fengshui and for some reason thougth was value for wanted over $300 for it! This goat doesn't have the same money decoration as yours. It didn't sell.
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/192016762587...9255-0%26rvr_id%3D1149663026866&ul_noapp=true

 

Thank you, Susan. I woke up at 3 AM with what appears to be a stomach flu. It's 2 in the afternoon and I'm just getting sort of upright. Those look like my critter but the last one is a bit bigger than mine. I paid somewhere around $15 and I was pretty sure he was new. I also thought there might be a zodiac connection. Thanks, everyone, I learned quite a bit.

Now if you'll excuse me I'm going to crawl back to bed. But, of course, this is Indiana. If I knock on enough doors at random someone will shoot me and put me out of my misery. Stay safe, warm and dry!

 

So sorry you're not feeling well.
Hope you feel better soon, I'd prefer that to someone shooting you.

 

it's flu season and some areas here are being hit hard.....to the point of being called an epidemic .......in certain localized regions.....

get well soon dg....

 

Ohhhh, Don, do take care!

--- Susan

 

These pieces are generally used for luck. Many homes in china have alters they will burn insence at. Alot of pieces used will correspond with animals of the Chinese zodiac. Everything in Chinese culture deals with Feng shui/luck.