Long-handled, footed incense burners are known throughout the Islamic Near East, but the square body, high domed lid, and horseshoe arches on the low register of this example suggest Western, probably Spanish production. Incense played an important role in al- Andalus, as it did throughout the medieval world, and the international trade in aromatic substances was a lucrative one.
Credit: Purchase, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, 1967
11th century
Bronze; cast, chased, and pierced
24.8cm
67.178.3a, b
Image and text © Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2019
Where you'll find this
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Permanent collection