Feline Incense Burner

1150–1200

Maker Unknown

Islamic Art

Feline Incense Burner, 1150–1200. Iran, Khurasan, Seljuq period of Iran (1037–1194). Copper alloy, cast, engraved, chased, and pierced; 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.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, John L. Severance Fund 1948.308 Arabic inscriptions in Kufic script against a background of scrolling arabesques run along the back and neck of the feline form.

Original Source

Maker/Artist: Maker Unknown
Classification: Metalwork
Formatted Medium: Copper alloy, cast, engraved, chased, and pierced
Medium: copper, alloy, cast, engraved, chased, pierced
Dimensions: 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.)
Inscribed: Translation: The inscription reads 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." Remark: The Arabic inscriptions in Kufic script around the lion's neck and along his spine are from the Qur'an sura al-jum'ah (The Friday Congregation) 62:9-10.
Departments: Islamic Art
Accession Number: 1948.308
Credit Line: John L. Severance Fund
Exhibitions: The Exhibition of Persian Art: 7000 Years of Art in Iran, Islam and the Medieval West, Traditions and Revisions: Themes from the History of Sculpture, Art of the Islamic World (Islamic art rotation), <em>Kunstschatze aus Iran. </em>DIE WOCHE, Zurich, Switzerland (6/6/1962).
Rights Statement: CC0
Museum Location: 116 Islamic