Censer with Maltese crosses, birds, and columns / Artist Unknown, Coptic, Egypt

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Record Details

Accession Number
1960/2.4
Title
Censer with Maltese crosses, birds, and columns
Artist Nationality
Egyptian
Medium and Support
bronze
Object Creation Date
500-699
Object Creation Place
Africa (continent)
Egypt (nation)
Creation Place 1
Africa (continent)
Creation Place 2
Egypt (nation)
Credit Line
Museum Purchase
Style/Group/Movement
Coptic
Dimensions
31.5 cm x 11.5 cm x 12 cm (12 3/8 in. x 4 1/2 in. x 4 3/4 in.)
Century
6th-7th century
Primary Object Classification
Ritual Objects
Primary Object Type
incense burner
Secondary Object Classification
Metalwork
Physical Description
The body of this cylindrical censer is decorated with eight columns spaced at regular intervals. The lid of the censer consists of an openwork dome divided into sections by eight vertical ribs that converge at its apex. An arched horizontal band intersects the midpoint of the ribs, and these eight junctures are marked with a projecting bird that holds a small bronze ball dangling from its beak. Two segments of the dome are decorated with Maltese crosses while another two feature curved plant forms. The apex is surmounted by a finial comprised of a globe topped by a Maltese cross on which a bird holding a piece of fruit perches.
Subject Matter
During liturgical rituals this Coptic censer would have been swung on a chain attached to its lid in order to scent the church with incense. The incense, usually spices or wood gums, would have been sprinkled over a bed of smoldering coals in the body of the censer, and the sweet fragrance of the burning incense would have exited through the perforated lid. The columns encircling the body of the censer, the domed lid, and the finial give the censer the appearance of a domed church, which would have visually harmonized the censer with its setting.
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Technical Details

Image Size
765 x 1423
File Size
60 KB
Record
1960/2.4
Link to this Item
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1960-sl-2.4/1960_2.4.jpg

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https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/image/api/manifest/musart:1960-SL-2.4:1960_2.4.JPG

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"Censer with Maltese crosses, birds, and columns; Artist Unknown, Coptic, Egypt." In the digital collection University of Michigan Museum of Art. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1960-sl-2.4/1960_2.4.jpg. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed March 28, 2024.
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