Iran, Khurasan, Seljuq period of Iran (1037–1194) / 1150–1200
Feline Incense Burner
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Feline Incense Burner as metalwork (Iran, Khurasan, Seljuq period of Iran (1037–1194) · 1150–1200).
Arabic inscriptions in Kufic script against a background of scrolling arabesques run along the back and neck of the feline form.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this metalwork as Copper alloy, cast, engraved, chased, and pierced.
The museum's collection notes: 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.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtFeline Incense BurnerOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.