Artwork Page for A Censer

Details / Information for A Censer

A Censer

c. 1480–90

Martin Schongauer

(German, c. 1450–1491)
Culture
Germany
Medium
engraving
Measurements
Sheet: 26.4 x 21 cm (10 3/8 x 8 1/4 in.)
Credit Line
John L. Severance Fund 1951.429
Catalogue raisonné
Lehrs V.359.106
State
I/I
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
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Did You Know?

The vine-like ornament that covers the openwork areas of this censer suggests a Christological metaphor of the grapes made into the Eucharist wine.

Description

Censers are liturgical containers swung back and forth on long chains to disperse incense during the celebration of the mass. In this print, Martin Schongauer exploited his early training as a goldsmith to create a detailed reproduction of a life-size censer. The exquisite filigree design of the openwork areas, and the minute figurines of angels holding chains that crumple on the ground and cast slight shadows suggest that Schongauer's Censer could have been a close replica of an existing censer, or a model for a goldsmith.
An engraved metal censer with a bulbous, lobed body supports an ornate gothic superstructure. Intricate pointed arches, leafy vines, and small winged angels decorate the vessel. A tall spire topped with a decorative cross rises from its peak. Long, heavy chains spill onto the ground and end in two large rings. The monogram "M + S" is inscribed at the bottom center (see "Inscriptions").

A Censer

c. 1480–90

Martin Schongauer

(German, c. 1450–1491)
Germany

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