A KHORASSAN BRONZE INCENSE BURNER, the body of octafoil cylindrical form, four of the lobes extruded to square-section shafts with hoof feet and lion-head terminals pierced with simple geometric motifs, three of the alternate lobes engraved with a vertical band of zigzags, the underside with a ring of engraved scrolling vine, the last lobe attached to a square section tubular handle, the sides and base pierced with triangular motifs, the top with a stylised kufic inscription, the terminal in the form of a boss below a six-petalled flowerhead, circa 11th century (rubbed, terminal slightly damaged) 9¼in. (23.3cm.) long

Details

A KHORASSAN BRONZE INCENSE BURNER, the body of octafoil cylindrical form, four of the lobes extruded to square-section shafts with hoof feet and lion-head terminals pierced with simple geometric motifs, three of the alternate lobes engraved with a vertical band of zigzags, the underside with a ring of engraved scrolling vine, the last lobe attached to a square section tubular handle, the sides and base pierced with triangular motifs, the top with a stylised kufic inscription, the terminal in the form of a boss below a six-petalled flowerhead, circa 11th century (rubbed, terminal slightly damaged) 9¼in. (23.3cm.) long

Lot Essay

This incense burner is of a rare form. It derives from the early and pre-Islamic incense burners, the best-known of which is in the Freer Gallery, Washington (Atil,E., Chase, W.T. and Jett, P.: Islamic Metalwork in the Freer Gallery of Art, Washington 1985, no.2, pp.58-61). Two silver examples dateable to the 11th/12th century were found in the Harari hoard, now in the L A Mayer Memorial Museum, Jerusalem, (Ferrier, R.W.(ed.): The Arts of Persia, New Haven and London 1989, pls 6 and 7, p.173). In those, the four feet had developed upwards as here into columns, however they terminate in drop-shapes rather than our lion heads. The octafoil interior seems even less common. Only in the grey schist vessels of the period is this feature regularly seen.

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