This item has been added to the Database within the Explore Islamic Art Collections project. Information is available in: English, Arabic.

Name of Object:

Incense Burner

Location:

Bamberg, Germany

Holding Museum:

University Museum of Islamic Art | The Bumiller Collection

About University Museum of Islamic Art | The Bumiller Collection, Bamberg

Date of Object:

Hegira 5-7th century / AD 11th-13th century

Museum Inventory Number:

BC 5869

Material(s) / Technique(s):

Bronze; cast, perforated, engraved

Dimensions:

Height: 18.2cm, Width: 8.9cm, Weight: 0.35kg

Period / Dynasty:

Great Seljuq / Ilkhanid

Provenance:

Persian world

Description:

This hollow cast incense burner in the shape of a bird has an opening in its chest. The decoration consists of engraving and openwork. A weld seam is visible on the lower stomach surface which could suggest that it consisted of two halves.
The head has engraved feathers. A kufic-inscription on tendril ground marks the transitional area leading towards the shoulders. The quadratic opening of the chest concludes with an interwoven band. The wings are decorated with perforated scroll ornaments. Between them lies another interwoven band. The wingtips have a drop motif. The underside is left blank.
The characteristics of this object are the fully perforated wings and the inscription. It has, in contrast to other incense burners, a raised gaze.

How date and origin were established:

Based on a stylistic analysis of its motifs and similarities to objects of other collections.

How Object was obtained:

Purchased from Marko Pollo Ltd. London in 2012

Selected bibliography:

Allan, J.W., The Metalworking Industry in Iran in the early Islamic Period, Oxford: Faculty of Oriental Studies, 1976: 310-315.
Geza Fehérvári, Islamic metalwork of the eighth to the fifteenth century in the Keir Collection, London: Faber and Faber, 1976: Plate 37c.

Citation of this web page:

Anita Mangalath "Incense Burner" in Explore Islamic Art Collections. Museum With No Frontiers, 2026.
https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;EPM;de;Mus23;14;en

Prepared by: Anita Mangalath
Copyedited by: Daniel de la VegaDaniel de la Vega

Daniel de la Vega is a copy editor based in Portland, Oregon. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in linguistics from the University of California at Santa Cruz in 2014 and has since done editing and localization work on everything from college applications to magazines to video game dialogue.

MWNF Working Number: DE2 14