Etruscan / 100s BCE
Incense Burner
Incense Burner
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Incense Burner as metalwork (Etruscan · 100s BCE).
WHY IT’S INTERESTING
The circular depression on the top of this object likely held incense.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this metalwork as bronze.
The museum's collection notes: Both elaborate and functional, the Etruscan thymiaterion , or incense burner, typically comprises at least three main parts—tripod stand, shaft, and, at the top, a shallow bowl for incense. Often, a figural support is incorporated, here in the form of a youthful male nude, perhaps the wine god Dionysos. Below him, the tripod stand features cloven hoofs, while above him a spotted cat or panther climbs toward a rooster or other crested bird. Holes in each corner of the square upper plate likely held additional animals or other ornaments.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtIncense BurnerOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.