A fine gold- and silver-inlaid cast brass incense burner base, Mosul, Jazira, 13th Century

the cylindrical body on three legs with pronounced feet, including a shallow saucer integral to body, engraved with gold- and silver-inlaid designs featuring arabesques containing birds and foliate motifs interspersed with calligraphic cartouches against a geometric pattern in the background, blank cartouche where handle was intended, the saucer with a central medallion filled with interlace, missing cover

Silver inlay in good condition, some missing due to rubbing and use, consistent with age, slight wear to bowl, blank cartouche where handle was intended, missing cover, as viewed
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inscriptions

al-'izz (wa) al-d /a'im wa al-i /q[bal (?)].../wa al-jud wa a / l-majd wa al-i /fdal wa a/

'Perpetual glory and Prosperity (?) ... and Generosity and Splendour and Excellence'

There are about forty such known surviving cast brass incense burners with a similar shape and dimensions. Mehmet Aga-Oglu examined these closely in his article: 'About a type of Islamic incense burner' in The Art Bulletin 27, 1945, pp.28-45, and included many illustrations. They are likely to have been made in Mosul, the main production centre for inlaid metalwork during the first half of the thirteenth century.

The function of these incense burners is confirmed by an inscription on one in the British Museum: 'Within me is hellfire but without float the perfumes of Paradise'. But although their exterior shape resembles traditional incense burners, the deep containers for coals and incense have been repaced by shallow saucers richly inlaid with precious metal, such as the present incense burner base suggesting that it is unlikely to have contained burning coals. The saucers may instead have held perfumed candles or some such air-sweeter.

A related incense burner was offered in these rooms, 8 October 2008, lot 146. For a full discussion on the form and function of these incense burners, see R. Ward, 'Incense and incense burners in Mamluk Egypt and Syria', in Transactions of the Oriental Ceramic Society, 1990-1991, pp.67-82.