Lot 1
1
A BRONZE FELINE HEAD FROM AN INCENSE BURNER
A BRONZE FELINE HEAD FROM AN INCENSE BURNER
A BRONZE FELINE HEAD FROM AN INCENSE BURNER
2 More
PROPERTY FROM AN IMPORTANT PRIVATE COLLECTION
A BRONZE FELINE HEAD FROM AN INCENSE BURNER

KHORASSAN, NORTH EAST IRAN, 12TH CENTURY

Details
A BRONZE FELINE HEAD FROM AN INCENSE BURNER
KHORASSAN, NORTH EAST IRAN, 12TH CENTURY
Cast with engraved and pierced decoration, the slightly open mouth with protruding teeth, openwork eyes, the neck with openwork lattice decoration
5 ½in. (13.6cm.) high
Provenance
Private collection, Europe, until 1997
Literature
Hiroko Horiuchi, Selected by H. Horiuchi, Tokyo, 1997, no. 18
Further details
Some countries prohibit or restrict the purchase and/or import of Iranian-origin property. Bidders must familiarise themselves with any laws or shipping restrictions that apply to them before bidding on these lots. For example, the USA prohibits dealings in and import of Iranian-origin “works of conventional craftsmanship” (such as carpets, textiles, decorative objects, and scientific instruments) without an appropriate licence. Christie’s has a general OFAC licence which, subject to compliance with certain conditions, would enable a buyer to import certain lots of this type into the USA. If you intend to use Christie’s licence, please contact us for further information before you bid

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Phoebe Jowett Smith
Phoebe Jowett Smith Sale Coordinator & Cataloguer

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Lot Essay

Zoomorphic incense burners grew in popularity towards the end of the 12th century, produced in workshops in North East Iran. The burners took the form of stylised felines and birds with perforated bodies. In the case of the feline incense burners, the head was hinged or removable in order to allow for the incense to be placed within the body (Eva Baer, Metalwork in Medieval Islamic Art, Albany, 1983, p.58). An example which closely relates to ours was sold in these Rooms, 6 Oct 2009, lot 21. The similarities are pronounced in the striated detail around the mouth and protruding canines. In addition, they share the same almond shaped eyes and three-dimensional pentagonal nose sweeping into upright ears. The largest example of a feline incense burner is in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (acc.no.51.56) stands 84cm. tall and is dated AH 577 / 1181-1182 AD.

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