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Middle East[edit]
Incense burners (miqtarah in Arabic) were used in both religious and secular contexts, but were more widely utilized in palaces and houses. The earliest known examples of dish-shaped incense burners with zoomorphic designs were excavated in Ghanza [1][2], while the earliest examples of zoomorphic incense burners are from 11th-century Tajikistan[3]. It is most likely that this practice was inspired by Hellenistic style incense burners[2] as well as the frankincense trade present in the Arabian peninsula since the 8th century BCE[4].
A wide variety of designs were used at different times and in different areas. Pottery and stone incense burners were the most common while those made of metals were reserved for the wealthy. Artisans created these incense burners with moulds or the lost-wax method. Openwork zoomorphic incense burners with lynx or lion designs were popular in the Islamic world; bronze or brass examples are found from the 11th-century until the Mongol conquests of the 13th-century.[3] These were especially popular during the Seljuq period[5]. The extensive use of lynx shape incense burners was due to the animals popularity as a hunting animal and as pet in Muslim courts[3]. The complexity of the piece would also make it fit into a palatial setting. This style of incense burners could measure about 22 cm; others like an example in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York measures 85 cm[5]. The surface of the object would be decorated with bands of Arabic calligraphy which would imitate a tiraz. This bands of text could include the name of the artist and the patron as well as prayers and good wishes for the owner. To insert coals and incense the head would be removed; the openwork geometric design would then allow the scented smoke to escape[6]. Depending on the size, the incense burner could be either carried on a tray or carried by using the tail as a handle.
In mosques, incense burners do not have a liturgical use or a specific design denoted for religious context[4]. However, they are still an important part of rituals and weddings. Other religious groups in Middle East such as the Copts do have ceremonial uses for incense burners.
- ^ Rowland, Benjamin (1971). Art in Afghanistan: Objects from the Kabul Museum. London: The Penguin Press. ISBN 978-0713900682.
- ^ a b Allan, James W. (1981). Nishapur : metalwork of the early Islamic period. New York : The Metropolitan Museum of Art. p. 43. ISBN 978-0300192834.
- ^ a b c Piotrovsky M.B. and Rogers, J.M. (eds), Heaven on Earth: Art from Islamic Lands, pp 86-87, 2004, Prestel, ISBN 3791330551
- ^ a b Maguer, Sterenn Le (Summer 2010). "Typology of incense-burners of the Islamic period". Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies. 41: 173 – via JSTOR.
- ^ a b "Incense Burner of Amir Saif al-Dunya wa'l-Din ibn Muhammad al-Mawardi". The MET. Nov 16, 2019.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Ward, Rachel (1993). Islamic Metalwork. London: British Museum Press. p. 12. ISBN 978-0500277317.