Publication Date
Mid to late seventh century / late thirteenth century
Publication Place
-
Royal Museum, National Museum of Scotland NMS
Subject
Cast and grooved bronze with silver inlay remains.
Type
Other
Language
Undetermined
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Physical Dimensions
الارتفاع: 16.51 سم
Library
Museum With No Frontiers
Library Asset ID
A.1956.518
Record ID
object;ISL;uk;Mus03;11;ar
Library Location
Royal Museum, National Museum of Scotland NMS
Date
Mid to late seventh century / late thirteenth century
Notes
A bronze incense burner with a cylindrical body and a prominent circular-section rim at the top and bottom. The lower part is decorated with a braided band. The incense burner bears three thick legs that were originally longer and have a prominent heel that is now cut off. The legs are decorated with small arabesque medallions and scrolled leaves arranged symmetrically at the bottom. The body is hollow and its nozzle is closed by a blind plate with a central hole in the middle. The original incense burner cover is missing and has been replaced by a modern, simple cover in the shape of a dome, topped with a decorative ornament in the form of a bottle. The original cover was attached to the body with a ring and a pivot. To the right of the joint, four imperfectly pierced holes indicate the location of a quatrefoil shape, where a long, horizontal loop was fastened. The incense burner is grooved, and both the body and the lid bear traces of the silver that used to inlay it. The upper ornament on the cover was decorated with an intertwined wreath of pointed leaves pointing upwards, and surrounding the base of the ornament was a band engraved in Kufic calligraphy that mentioned: “Eternal glory, a peaceful life, and the earnest growth of its owner.” Beneath it, the rest of the cover was decorated with a wide decorative band surrounded by a frame of geometric decoration, and inside it were designs of symmetrical and elongated arabesques alternating with circular ornaments filled with geometric shapes in the shape of a letter. T. The body of the incense burner is decorated in the same way with a wide decorative frieze defined at the top and bottom with geometric shapes. Within a group of successive arches, six human figures appear on a ground with spiral decorations. These arches and the human figures within them alternate with five symmetrical arabesque designs. This decoration is interrupted by a large quatrefoil shape that may not be contemporary with it. The human figures wear long clothes with a head covering, and are represented from the front and side. They appear to be walking towards the left. Each of them carries a long stick. The figures are all identical in appearance except for the figure to the right of the quatrefoil, who is bearded, and his body is bent over the stick as if he were an old man.
Sample Text
Ulrike Al-Khamis “Incense Burner” in Discover Islamic Art. Museum Without Borders, 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;ISL;uk;Mus03;11;ar
