Censer with Maltese crosses, birds, and columns / Artist Unknown, Coptic, Egypt
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About this Item
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.
- Primary Keywords
- birds
- bronze (metal)
- censers
- columns (architectural elements)
- coptic (christianity)
- incense burners
- maltese crosses
- Secondary Keywords
- animals and creatures
- architectural elements
- associated concepts
- ceremonial containers
- christianity
- columns and column components
- components
- components and systems
- components by specific context
- containers
- containers by function or context
- copper alloy
- copper and copper alloy
- crosses (motifs)
- descriptors
- design elements
- inorganic material
- materials
- materials by composition
- metal
- metal and metal products
- metal by composition or origin
- motifs
- nonferrous metal
- objects we use
- people and culture
- religions
- religions and religious concepts
- structural elements
- structural elements and structural element components
- supporting and resisting elements
- Rights
- If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit https://umma.umich.edu/about/services/request-image/ for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.
Technical Details
- Collection
- University of Michigan Museum of Art
- 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
Rights and Permissions
Related Links
Portfolios
IIIF
- Manifest
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/image/api/manifest/musart:1960-SL-2.4:1960_2.4.JPG
Cite this Item
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- Full citation
-
"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.