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Source 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.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
126090
label
Head for a Feline Incense Burner
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
126090
contentType
object
title
Head for a Feline Incense Burner
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.
date
1150–1200
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q60756756
genreSpecific
Metalwork
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 36 cm (14 3/16 in.)
cul
Iran, Khurasan, Seljuq period of Iran (1037–1194)
accession
1948.308.b
Source extras
tec
Copper alloy, cast, engraved, chased, and pierced
tombstone
Head for a Feline Incense Burner, 1150–1200. Iran, Khurasan, Seljuq period of Iran (1037–1194). Copper alloy, cast, engraved, chased, and pierced; overall: 36 cm (14 3/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, John L. Severance Fund, 1948.308.b
collection
Islamic Art
inscriptions
inscription
Qur'an sura al-jum'ah (The Friday Congregation) 62:9-10 (on neck and spine)
inscription_translation
The inscription reads in part: "O believers, when proclamation is made for prayer on the Day of Congregation, hasten to God's remembrance and leave trafficking aside... then, when the prayer is finished, disperse through the land and seek God's bounty, and remember God frequently that you may prosper."
didYouKnow
The head and body were each cast in halves that were soldered or welded together.
citations
citation
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
citation
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
citation
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
citation
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
citation
Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>The CMA Companion: A Guide to the Cleveland Museum of Art</em>. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2014.
page_number
Mentioned and reproduced: pp. 226–227
creditline
John L. Severance Fund
updatedAt
2026-06-17 11:19:43.739000
sourceId
126090
dept
Islamic Art
coll
Islamic Art
med
Copper alloy, cast, engraved, chased, and pierced
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
9a01460987ff6770