.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
This incense burner in the form of a lion obviously owes a considerable debt to Khorassan incense burners of the same form such as one in the Academy of Sciences in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, of similar size whose head also hinges at the front (Vladimir Loukonine and Anatoli Ivanov, L'art persan, Bournemouth, 1995, no.100). While there is considerable variety even within that group, the present example has many features in its decoration that indicate another origin, notably the pierced floral panels on the sides and the combination of the eyes, eyebrows and ears which are completely different from the Khorassani examples.
The work in the panels in the neck share similarities in their freedom of scrolling tendrils with the fronds held in the mouths of some cast Deccani birds (Mark Zebrowski, Gold, Silver and Bronze from Mughal India, London, 1997, in particular no.103 p.100 and pl.525). The layout of the panels in the back also presage the classic floral panels of the Mughal era.
The work in the panels in the neck share similarities in their freedom of scrolling tendrils with the fronds held in the mouths of some cast Deccani birds (Mark Zebrowski, Gold, Silver and Bronze from Mughal India, London, 1997, in particular no.103 p.100 and pl.525). The layout of the panels in the back also presage the classic floral panels of the Mughal era.