id:			126089
accession number:	1948.308.a
share license status:	CC0
url:			https://clevelandart.org/art/1948.308.a
updated:		2022-01-04 15:36:39.431000

Feline Incense Burner, 1150–1200. Iran, Khurasan, Seljuq period of Iran (1037–1194). Copper alloy, cast, engraved, chased, and pierced; overall: 35.5 x 11 cm (14 x 4 5/16 in.); head: 17.8 x 9.5 x 12.5 cm (7 x 3 3/4 x 4 15/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, John L. Severance Fund 1948.308.a

title:				Feline Incense Burner
title in original language:	
series:				
series in original language:	
creation date:			1150–1200
creation date earliest:		1150
creation date latest:		1200
current location:		116 Islamic
creditline:			John L. Severance Fund
copyright:			

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culture:	Iran, Khurasan, Seljuq period of Iran (1037–1194)
technique:	Copper alloy, cast, engraved, chased, and pierced
department:	Islamic Art
collection:	Islamic Art
type:		Metalwork
find spot:	
catalogue raisonne: 

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CREATORS

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measurements: Overall: 35.5 x 11 cm (14 x 4 5/16 in.); Head: 17.8 x 9.5 x 12.5 cm (7 x 3 3/4 x 4 15/16 in.)
state of the work:	
edition of the work: 	

support materials:


inscriptions:

	inscription:	Qur'an sura al-jum'ah (The Friday Congregation) 62:9-10 (on neck and spine)
	translation:	
	remark:		

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CURRENT EXHIBITIONS

	title:		Islam and the Medieval West
	opening date:   1975-04-06T04:00:00
	<i>Islam and the Medieval West</i>. University Art Museum, Binghamton, NY, Binghamton, NY (organizer) (April 6-May 4, 1975).

	title:		Traditions and Revisions: Themes from the History of Sculpture
	opening date:   1975-09-24T04:00:00
	<i>Traditions and Revisions: Themes from the History of Sculpture</i>. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (September 24-November 16, 1975).

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LEGACY EXHIBITIONS

* <em>Kunstschatze aus Iran. </em>DIE WOCHE, Zurich, Switzerland (6/6/1962).

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PROVENANCE

	(Heeramaneck Galleries, New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
	date: ?-1948
	footnotes: 	
	citations: 	


	The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
	date: 1948-
	footnotes: 	
	citations: 	


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fun fact: 


digital description: 


wall description: 
In Iran during the 1000s and 1100s, vessels in the shape of animals gained popularity, especially as incense burners. Felines were favored in Persian art and this piece may represent a caracal, a type of lynx. The head of the creature was cast separately and is removable to fill its body with hot coals and incense. Qur’anic verses on the neck and spine remind worshippers to set work aside, attend prayer, and then disperse to seek God’s bounty. The diffusion of perfumed smoke through the burner’s pierced palmette design may have served as a sensorial reminder of this teaching.
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RELATED WORKS

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CITATIONS

	The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>The Cleveland Museum of Art Handbook.</em> Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1958.
	page number: 	Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 707
	url:		https://archive.org/details/CMAHandbook1958/page/n129

	The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966</em>. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966.
	page number: 	Reproduced: p. 208
	url:		https://archive.org/details/CMAHandbook1966/page/n232

	The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969</em>. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969.
	page number: 	Reproduced: p. 208
	url:		https://archive.org/details/CMAHandbook1969/page/n232

	The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978</em>. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978.
	page number: 	Reproduced: p. 264
	url:		https://archive.org/details/CMAHandbook1978/page/n284

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IMAGES

web:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1948.308.a/1948.308.a_web.jpg
print:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1948.308.a/1948.308.a_print.jpg
full:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1948.308.a/1948.308.a_full.tif