Collection Online as of December 9, 2019

Feline incense burner

1100s

Part of a set. See all set records

eastern Iran, western Afghanistan, or Turkmenistan, Khorasan

Copper alloy, cast and chased

Overall: 35.5 x 11 x 32.5 cm (14 x 4 5/16 x 12 13/16 in.); Head: 17.8 x 9.5 x 12.5 cm (7 x 3 3/4 x 4 15/16 in.)

John L. Severance Fund 1948.308

Location

116 Islamic

Description

The head of this lion could be removed to fill its body with hot coals and incense; the pierced walls enabled the scented smoke to disperse. Inscriptions around the lion's neck and along his spine are from the Koran (62:9-10) and read 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."

Inscriptions

Inscription

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

Citations

The Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art Handbook. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1958. Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 707 archive.org

The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966. Reproduced: p. 208 archive.org

The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969. Reproduced: p. 208 archive.org

The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 264 archive.org

Mackie, Louise W. Symbols of Power: Luxury Textiles from Islamic Lands, 7th-21st Century. Cleveland; New Haven: Cleveland Museum of Art; Yale University Press, 2015. Reproduced: p. 132; Mentioned: p. 133

Gertsman, Elina and Barbara H. Rosenwein. The Middle Ages in 50 Objects. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2018. Mentioned: p. 22-25; Reproduced: p. 23

Exhibition history

Traditions and Revisions: Themes from the History of Sculpture. The Cleveland Museum of Art (September 24-November 16, 1975).