Incense Burner, um 1600
Copper, openwork, engraved, gilded
Height21 cm
About the workIncense burners such as this one were part of the sophisticated lifestyle in the Ottoman Empire and were used on social and religious occasions. Charcoal glowed in the lower bowl of the two-part vessel, onto which aromatic substances were placed. The smoke rose through the openwork dome. Floral, leaf, and cypress ornaments adorn both the incense burner and the accompanying plate. An Arabic verse is inscribed on the rim of the dome. In it, an ant professes its love for King Solomon, who was believed to have the ability to understand the language of animals.
AccessionAcquired 1927 from the Kunstgewerbemuseum
Provenance[...]; bis 11.5.1886 Dr. Franz Johann Joseph Bock, Kanonikus, Geistlicher und Kunsthistoriker (Aachen-Burtscheid 1823-1899 Aachen); 11.5.1886 - 1927 ehem. Kunstgewerbemuseum Düsseldorf (1883-1927) angekauft von Bock; 1927 übernommen aus dem Kunstgewerbemuseum
Inventory numberP 10554
