Material: bronze

Size: H. 33 1/2 in., L. 32 1/2 in., W. 9 in.

 

First, take a minute or two to look closely at the images above. Write down your reaction to this object--what details do you notice? Why did you pick this object for your response paper? Make notes on things that you notice about it. Also, write down any questions you have about it--what kinds of things would you want to know about this object? Remember the questions we ask in class. You don't need to have answers for these questions yet, but keep them in your notes.

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Once you have some questions written down, try to answer them by reading the information I've provided below about this object and its context.​

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What do we know about this object?​

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This is an incense burner. The head is removable, and coal and incense could be placed inside, and the body of the animal is pierced with holes to let the sweet-smelling smoke waft out.

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The Metropolitan Museum of Art, which owns this object, simply says that it was found in Taybad, Iran. This is a town on the border between Iran and Afghanistan, in the far eastern part of Iran. The Met purchased the object from a collector in 1951, who presumably told them i thad been found in Taybad, Iran. But we don't know any more than this about the circumstances in which it was found.

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Arabic calligraphy inscriptions on the object give us a little more information about when it was produced:

• On the neck and chest: "Ordered by the just and wise prince Saif al-Dunya wa’l-Din ibn Muhammad al-Mawardi"

• On the three bosses (the round raised circles on the sides and chest): "Happiness, prosperity, well-being"

• On the chest and right foot: "Work of Ja‘far son of Muhammad son of ‘Ali in the year A.H. 577 [1181– 82 A.D.]"

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At this time, the Seljuk Turks controlled this area of Iran. Animal-shaped incense burners were popular among the Seljuk Turks. This incense burner depicts a lion. In class, we talked about how Islamic art tends to avoid animal or human forms in religious contexts. Therefore, this was most likely used in a domestic context (perhaps a very rich and magnificent house). 

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Incense was made from the sap of trees that grew in the Arabian peninsula, producing expensive aromatics such as frankincense and myrrh. It was traded widely throughout the Islamic world.

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Some things to consider in your response paper:​

• What was your response to this object? What drew your eye? You are encouraged to use first person (I/me) in your response paper. I want to know what you think.

• Consider the artistic details of this object carefully. What kinds of decisions did the artist make when they were creating this piece, and why?  What aspects of this artwork are characteristic of Islamic art?

• Lions were a popular choice for incense burners at this time in Iran. Lion imagery has a long history in Iran--remember the lion art from ancient Persia, or the lion-hunt of Ashurbanipal (on this website). Why do you think this animal was so popular in domestic art? What meanings might this animal have had?

• What information do the inscriptions add to your understanding of this piece? Why do you think each of the three inscriptions was included? Who do you imagine the owner was, and what can we say about him based on this piece of artwork that he appears to have owned? Where/how do you imagine this object was used? What kind of "message" was it supposed to send about its owner?